Wicklow Tidy Towns group hails free insurance scheme as ‘breakthrough for community’

Independent.ie - 05:00
Tidy Towns groups in County Wicklow have hailed a new initiative that will cover public liability insurance and remove a long-standing barrier to volunteer work as a “breakthrough for community groups”.

Delivered through a partnership between local authorities and Irish Public Bodies (IPB) Insurance, the scheme enables councils to provide public liability insurance for Tidy Towns groups at no cost to the volunteers.

The move has been widely welcomed by local representatives, including Baltinglass MD councillor and Blessington Tidy Towns chairperson Jason Mulhall, who has been advocating through his role in Tidy Towns for such a scheme in Wicklow for over a decade.

“This is a breakthrough for community groups in Wicklow,” said Cllr Mulhall. “For too long, the cost and complexity of insurance has often held back volunteers who simply want to make a difference in their towns and villages.

“This initiative removes a huge barrier and allows groups to focus on what they do best – improving and taking pride in their local areas.”

With Tidy Towns volunteers responsible for planting, litter-picking, public realm improvements, and countless other actions that improve the visual and environmental quality of Wicklow’s towns and villages, ...
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