Laois town about to bloom on global stage

Abbeyleix is buzzing with activity as preparations ramp up ahead of a major international visit from the Communities in Bloom judging panel, taking place from June 26th to 28th.

Following its outstanding success as Ireland’s Overall Tidy Towns winner in 2023, Abbeyleix was selected to represent the country in the 2025 Communities in Bloom International Challenge. It is a global competition that brings together top-ranking towns from countries including Canada, the UK, USA, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia.

The international judges, visiting from Canada and Belgium, will be in town on Friday, June 27, for the official judging day. In preparation, Abbeyleix Tidy Towns volunteers, with the support of Laois County Council, have been hard at work making sure the community is in pristine condition. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Busy at work in Abbeyleix.

A statement issued to the Leinster Express / Laois Live said the community spirit that Abbeyleix is known for was on full display at a public meeting held on Friday, May 16, where a large turnout of residents, volunteers, and business owners gathered to lend their support.

Attendees heard from Bernadette Solon of the Department of Rural and Community Development, who gave a detailed presentation on what the judging panel will be looking for during their visit.

With just weeks to go, all hands are on deck. Locals are being asked to play their part by keeping their homes, shopfronts, and public spaces clean and tidy in the lead-up to this important occasion.

Abbeyleix is proud to fly the flag for Ireland and Laois in this international celebration of community pride, sustainability, and collaboration. As proven by the National Tidy Towns victory, the town is sure to give its all to show the judges what makes Abbeyleix a truly exceptional place to live, work, and visit.

The Communities in Bloom organisation says its program provides a template for bringing everyone together to work towards improving the quality of life for all. It also provides a network of hundreds of communities worldwide with similar goals and objectives to share knowledge, experiences and best practices. READ MORE BELOW VIDEO.

It adds that it is a volunteer and partnership-driven organisation that uses a multi-tiered competitive evaluation process to assess communities that then acts as a catalyst to help foster community strength, involvement and continuous improvement. This nurtures environmental sustainability, climate change adaptation and mitigation, enhancement of green spaces, and the conservation of the cultural and natural heritage. The program assesses all municipal, residential, commercial, and institutional space.

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They add that promotional and educational opportunities along with special projects are facilitated by being involved.

See the six judging criteria below a picture of blooming Abbeyleix flowers:

• Community Appearance
• Environmental Action
• Heritage Conservation
• Tree Management
• Landscape
• Plant and Floral Displays

The 2025 National & International Awards Ceremonies along with the Symposium on Parks & Grounds, will be held in Stratford, Ontario Canada from October 16-19, 2024. International Finalists are provided with promotional opportunities during the events.