The Letterkenny Tidy Towns held their 38th Annual Cleaner Community Campaign Awards in the Mount Errigal Hotel on Monday evening and the special guest was Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Charlie McConalogue. Tidy Towns Co-chairman Gerard McCormick welcomed everyone to the awards night and introduced the speakers. Chairperson of the Letterkenny Municipal Area Cllr. Gerry McMonagle commended the Tidy Towns in Letterkenny for all their great work and all the different groups who are involved. He called for more investment in the areas highlighted in the adjudicators report to help make Letterkenny, Ireland’s tidiest town again as in 2016. He assured that all the Cllrs. in the area are lobbying the Council for additional funding. Minister McConalogue said Letterkenny Tidy Towns is one of the most highly regarded voluntary organisations in Donegal and since it was set up back in 1959, it has always been to the fore in all that is good in the community.A special reception was hosted by the Irish Embassy in London recently to acknowledge the sponsors of the annual Donegal Hospice Calendar. The fundraising calendar was founded by Carrigart photographer, Brendan ‘Tiny’ Vaughan, after his late mother Mary was cared for by the service in 2010 and to date the sale and sponsorship of the calendar has raised over €200,000 for the hospice. Speaking to the Tribune this week Berndan said the calendar would not have achieved the success it has in raising valuable funds for the hospice without the strong support of the Donegal Diaspora and sponsors and that he was very grateful to acknowledge them all at the event hosted by Ambassador Martin Fraser. London-based Brendan was joined by family, friends and many of those who sponsor the calendar each year for a reception at the embassy on Grosvenor Square in London, as well as Iosobel Moore director of Donegal Hospice and patron Fr Shaun Doherty. Speaking after the event Isobel said it a lovely event to attend and that she addressed the guests giving the background of the hospice and Brendan’s involvement as a fundraiser.
