< Previous© July 2020 The Meath Coaster 10 Our last garden, The Brook Garden, is in its very early stages of development, and is located on the Coast Road at the pedes- trian beach entrance. To continue our work we do need more volunteers to assist us with garden and planter maintenance and planting, paint- ing and litter picks. Join us any Saturday morning between 10 and 11, even for half an hour. Suggestions and ideas are always wel- come and can be sent to us on our Face- book page or speak to us when we are out and about in the village. As the sign opposite shows, Tidy Towns volunteers meet on Saturday mornings from 10.00am outside §www.droghedacu.ie© July 2020 The Meath Coaster 12 Council Update By Cllr. Tom Behan - ! Municipal District AGM T he Annual General Meeting of the Laytown Bettystown Municipal District was held last month at County Hall in Navan. We took to the chambers as op- posed to our usual venue of the Civic Of- fices in Duleek to ensure we were adhering to social distancing. It was and exciting day as we welcomed two new councillors to the Municipal area having earlier been co-opted into their seats vacated by Sena- tors Sharon Keogan and Senator Annie Hoey. We welcomed Councillors Elaine McGinty and Geraldine Keogan. I was also delighted to be elected Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District for the coming year and I am very much looking forward to the year ahead in which I hope to work with our local businesses, clubs, commu- nity organisations and volunteer groups as they begin to get up and running again. I would also like to add my note of thanks to all who have been working on the front- line during this pandemic, and for the in- valuable service you have been providing in these times of uncertainty. Beach Parking There has been a lot of conversation over the past few months over whether or not we should ban cars off the beach. At our July council meeting it was proposed that we keep our beaches closed to vehicular access whilst social distancing measures are still in place. Whilst this motion was not adopted by the council it was referred to our special environmen- tal committee to review on the 3 rd of July. The Council are however looking at putting in place arrangements that will facilitate parking for a lesser number of vehicles on the southern side of the main entrance and which would cater for peo- ple with disabilities, the elderly etc and proposals in this regard will be presented to the aforementioned SPC at their meet- ing to be held on Friday next 3 rd July at 10 o clock in County Hall Navan. Arrangements have also been made with Coláiste na hInse for use of the school car park in the interim and signage to be put in place directing the public to an access point to the beach via Brookside Lane which is less than a five minute walk away. Officials at the SPC meeting will also ex- plain the efforts being made to identify potential parking facilities in or around Bettystown and which would assist in de- livering the objective contained within the Beach Management Plan for the complete removal of vehicles from the beach on a phased basis.. Business Restart Grants As many businesses pre- pare to reopen or get up and running it is important that they avail of every sup- port mechanism they can to allow them to get back to some sort of normal- ity. Local businesses can © July 2020 The Meath Coaster 13 avail of a restart grant. Applications for the restart grant, which will give direct grant aid to micro and small businesses to help them with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers fol- lowing covid 19 closures are open from Friday 22 nd of May to the 31 st of August. Minimum grant available is €2000, and the maximum grant available is €10,000. This grant is available to any business that has a commercially rateable premises, or where rates are paid on your behalf and attributed to the business premises you occupy. Further information can be found on restartgrant@meathcoco.ie or ap- plication forms can be filled in at https:// consult.meath.ie/en/applications . Recycling Facilities There has been an increased demand on our recycling facilities throughout the County. In particular our bottle banks. I would ask that if you do use these facili- ties, if they are full please take your recy- cling home until the bins are emptied. The council are working hard to ensure the bottle banks are emptied more regularly so if they are full please take your recy- cling home until they are emptied. Back to schools Clothing and Footwear Allowance The Back to School Clothing and Foot- wear allowance is a means tested once off payment aimed at helping families with extra costs when children start school each autumn. This Scheme is open from 1 June to 30 September each year. From July 6, if you have not received an award letter for back to school clothing and foot- wear allowance and you are in receipt of a weekly social protection payment, you will need to apply online. For more infor- mation or application forms visit www. mywelfare.ie . §© July 2020 The Meath Coaster 14 News From Julianstown & District Community Association By Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh I t was wonderful to see Mark Hoey a landscape artist now living in Middle- ton with his wife and daughter, but origi- nally from Smithstown, Julianstown, win RTE’s Super Garden Award 2020. When Mark started the garden, the weather took a turn for the worst, measurements had to be changed but with a helping hand from his dad Paddy, father-in-law Chris and sis- ter Laura, he created a stunning garden for Shelly Gaynor. Shelly is a wheelchair user and an ardent Disability and Independent Living Campaigner and now has a space to call her own thanks to Mark. She is de- lighted with how her garden turned out and can move about with great ease. This garden was inspired by a sudden death in Mark’s family and He explained: “The inspiration for this was very person- al. You never think certain things are go- ing to happen to you and those things can be good or they can be bad”. “I think this garden has been inspired by bad things, but it has created a lot of good things”. “It means a lot that a garden that means so much to me has been recognised by the judges as this year’s Super Garden”. We are now all looking forward to see- ing Mark’s Garden take pride of place at Bloom 2021 and wish him all the best for the future. Green Flag Award 2020 Julianstown Tidy Towns are having a visit from judges Stephen Seaman, and Mau- rice Cleary in mid-July for the Green Flag Award assessment. Due to the Corona- virus lock down we are a little bit be- hind and the garden is not looking its best due to the massive growth at this time of year. We wonder would anyone have an hour or two to spare to help with paint- Mark Hoey, a native of Julianstown, crowned winner of The Super Garden 2020 `© July 2020 The Meath Coaster 15 Continued over.... ing, weeding and strimming? Kevin will be in the garden on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and several of our Tidy Towns Group will be working in the garden on Saturday mornings from 10.30 am until 1 p.m. We would really appreciate any help you can give us. Jim O’Connor is continuing to plant Sun Flowers around the village and with the rain and sunshine they are just leaping out of the ground. Well done Jim! Sean Corbally is doing great work in the village cleaning verges, while Larry Lenehan and Edward O’Neill have done great work on the bridge. Brian from Aney View is doing a nice job on the Julianstown Sign in the centre of the village and our Tidy Towns Committee are doing great work in the garden. Pat and Tom created this love- ly bed last Weekend and its beginning to bloom. We also have a new entrance and 2 raised beds ready to be put in place at the entrance to the car park and this should give the garden a ‘wow’ factor. A word of thanks to all our volunteers who come along every Saturday and give a helping hand. Without you our village wouldn’t look half as good! We didn’t do the usual big clean up of the village this year due to the virus, but should anyone need litter pickers, bags or gloves just call to the garden and ask Kevin or phone. If you arrange a litter pick of your area we can arrange for the council to pick up the bags etc. Planning Permission Refusal for 450 homes on the Marsh Road A housing development was granted plan- ning permission by An Bord Pleanála in February 2020 and was subsequently challenged by an environmental group Protect East Meath Ltd, represented by John Kenny BL and instructed by So- licitor Fred Logue on the grounds that it failed properly to take into account the impact of the proposed development on the Boyne Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the various species of birds and bats found there. The Housing De- velopment has subsequently been refused by the High Court due to the impact on © July 2020 The Meath Coaster 16 habitats protected by EU Law. The Lime Kiln re-opens At long last The Lime Kiln is delighted to announce the RE-OPENING of The Lime Kiln Julianstown for lunch and dinner on Friday 3 rd July . They are so excited to be taking bookings again. They will however be operating at reduced capacity to allow for social dis- tancing so we expect tables to book up fast. Rest assured they are adhering to gov- ernment guidelines and social distancing requirements in the restaurant. All staff have completed COVID-19 awareness and compliance training. You can book online from today bit.ly/ BookLimeKiln or hit the “Book Now” button on Facebook. As directed by gov- ernment guidelines all sittings are capped at 1hr 45 mins and please note new open- ing times below . Please also note the same applies on all Matthews Coaches – face coverings are mandatory Whitecross National School Congratulation to all our 6 th class pupils who graduated on the 19 th June, 2020. All © July 2020 The Meath Coaster 17 the boys and girls were given gorgeous hoodies from our Parents Association and they also got a lovely treat of a handmade cupcake. 041 98 444 98 041 98 111 98 086 838 4444 www.eastcoastcabs.com EAST COAST CABS SERVICING MEATH COAST & DROGHEDA REGIONS CABS - 4, 6 & 8 SEATERS NEW RANGE OF MINI-VANS COACHES - 16, 24, 36 & 54 SEATERS AVAILABLE Should you wish to contact Julianstown & District Community Association please send message to our Facebook page or mobile 086 3477283© July 2020 The Meath Coaster 18 02/23 5167 4700 0000 0000 Borrow Local, Save Local, Bank Local C redit Unions have always led the way to deliver excellent member experi- ence and now more than ever while we are aware that the member experience has changed for ever maybe, we in Drogheda Credit Union are here and have always been her for our community. With a full range of lending products from SME loans to help regarding COVID right through to our Students who may need help returning or starting 3 rd level with a Student Loan. All the credit union branches in East Meath (Bettystown), Drogheda, Dunleer and Trim are open with regular opening hours resuming shortly following govern- ment announcements. Current Accounts with a globally accepted debit card are also proving extremely popular and we are one of the most trusted companies in Ireland at present, making our current ac- count a great option for many. Having increased the facilities now avail- able online from Current Account sign up and full loan enquiry process via www. droghedacu.ie there is no better time to save local, borrow local and bank local @ Drogheda Credit Union SonairteD ear Friends, Sonairte is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions. We look forward to opening our doors again and we are aiming for mid-July, so please keep an eye on our social media pages. Meanwhile our staff are growing more vegetables for our veg boxes and plants for sale. Details of what we have can be accessed via the Facebook page where we’ll also be putting up gardening tips, photos of what is going on behind the scenes, and infor- mation on what is happening in the wider environmental world during this strange suspension of normal life. Online Store We have a limited online shop for all your ecofriendly needs including our popular raised beds, and seasonal fruit and vegeta- bles. All orders and deliveries will follow the covid-19 restrictions, including limit- ed delivery area and non-contact delivery. For more information on products and what plants we have for sale, please fol- low us on Facebook or www.sonairte.com Cllr Elaine McGinty Nominated O n Monday 8 th June, Labour Party member Elaine McGinty was appointed as Coun- cillor for East Meath, replacing Annie Hoey following her election to Seanad Eire- ann. A resident of Lagavooren Manor in Drogheda, Elaine has spent almost twenty years working in business banking in the Dublin, Louth and Meath areas. More recently she has taught in Coláiste na hInse in Bettystown. Elaine has been active in community work, campaigning and advocacy. Her aim is to be a councillor for all generations both present and future in East Meath/South Drogheda. § Mastercard is a registered trade mark and the circles design is a trade mark of Mastercard International Incorporated. This card is issued by Transact Payments Limited pursuant to licence by Mastercard International. Terms & Conditions apply. Credit Unions are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Same Friendly Service Easy to Sign Up Globally Accepted Debit Card Transparent, Low Fees 02/23 EXPIRES END 5167 4700 0000 0000 SINÉAD KAVANAGH YOUR CREDIT UNION Finally, a real choice Introducing Current Account from your Credit Union Call in to a participating Credit Union or visit currentaccount.ie to find out more.Next >