National Spring Clean - The Curse of Litter - Signage in Newbridge - Fairtrade - 2005 Forum on Newbridge Town Centre Streetscape
Droichead Nua or Newbridge
Your Town - It's easy to make a difference
Civic Pride in Newbridge
Newbridge town has almost everything one could wish for, and a number of unique features, it has also managed to retain its core town centre. The town’s facilities are in the main within easy walking distance of the town centre;
Some of the facilities in Newbridge include:-
- Liffeyside Town Park;
- Excellent Primary / Secondary Schools;
- Railway Station / Bus Services;
- Sports Centres / Swimming pools / Gyms;
- Riverbank Theatre & Arts Centre;
- Shopping Centres / Excellent Shops;
- Restaurants, Hotels, B & B’s;
- Cinema / Children’s Playground;
- Churches / Parish Services;
- Pubs / Nightclubs;
- County Library / Genealogy Service;
- GAA / Soccer / Rugby / Hockey Clubs;
- Youth Clubs / Community Games / Canoe Club;
- Banks / Newbridge Credit Union / Post Office;
- Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge Silverware;
- Ryston – Pitch & Putt / Badmenton / Boules;
- Manufacturing / Service / Equine Industry;
- Proximity to Curragh Plains / Pollardstown Fen / Bog of Allen;
- And lots more...................;
As a place to live is you could not find a much better place than Newbridge, however there is an obvious need to increase public awareness throughout the town of the good things Newbridge has to offer. Since inception, Newbridge Tidy Towns Association has looked for ways to carry out projects to help promote the economic, social and cultural vitality of Newbridge.
Civic Pride is about developing and building a local sense of belonging for existing residents, it’s about welcoming newcomers who are looking for a place to live or work in, it’s about giving everybody an opportunity to get involved in their community, and generating a sense of pride in their immediate neighbourhood or town.
Civic Pride is about getting to know your neighbours, these days many people seldom see their neighbours, regretfully in some communities its many years since individuals recognised many of their neighbours, or counted them as friends, when was the last time you had a neighbour over for “tea and scones”.
However one could ask “what has happened to our town’s civic pride” and what has caused the obvious decline in our civic pride.
- We Litter our streets daily, and while the Council’s street cleaning crew do a excellent job each morning, the town is too big for the limited cleaning hours allotted to Newbridge each morning (Newbridge could really do with a comprehensive fulltime street cleaning service), but because of our own personal lack of Civic Pride, each day more and more litter is deposited on the streets of our town;
- Many Dog Owners do not make even the slightest effort to clean up their animals mess, thus fouling our streets, parks and residential areas, it would appear they feel it is someone else’s responsibility to clean up after them;
- Some Residents / Businesses take pride in the appearance of their residence or business premises, however many people no longer feel it is their duty to sweep / clear weeds from outside their homes or places of business. Again it would appear we feel it is someone else’s responsibility to clean up. Ironically it would take so little time or effort to clean the area outside our residence or business premises, and the difference it would make would be phenomenal;
- Have you ever thought of Volunteering with a local organisation? While there are a good number of people volunteering in Newbridge, there is no organisation that will not take on a few extra volunteers. We appeal to parents, retired people, teenagers to consider getting involved in some club or organisation, a few hours a week with a youth group, sports club, tidy towns or residents association, church group, school homework club would make a difference, and ensures that you remain active and make a difference in your community;
