Kildare County Council hosts Pride In Your Place Awards

Kildare County Council proudly hosted the thirtieth annual Pride in Your Place Awards 2025 at the Osprey Hotel, Naas on Tuesday, October 22.

This milestone event celebrates the outstanding achievements of community groups, resident’s associations and young people across  Local Authority and Approved Housing Body estates in Kildare.

This year, over thirty estates participated.  

The Youth Participation award, now in its twenty-second year, celebrated ten remarkable young people for their dedication and leadership within their communities.

For Kildare County Council, Annette Aspell, Deputy Chief Executive Kildare County Council, Seamie Moore, Mayor of Naas and Marian Higgins, Director of Services all expressed their thanks to all participants for their commitment to making Kildare a better place to live. 

Award Highlights

Youth Participation Award:

Recognising young leaders who inspire and support their neighbours, and who go the extra mile to be helpful, kind, and inclusive. 

• Abbey Binch, Wheatfield - Abbie is a fun outgoing young lady who takes so much care of all the young children in the estate, she also looks after our older generation getting their groceries from the local shop.

   

• Gareth Joyce Cribben, Loughnamona - Gareth supports the elderly living in Loughnamona by doing manual chores such as carrying in shopping, gardening, helping out around the house. Gareth also spends time in conversation with the older members of Loughnamona which is greatly appreciated as it can prevent isolation and loneliness.

   

• Michael Martin, Ashgrove Derrinturn - Michael has participated with the group since birth, every meeting, every event that the committee has held. A good young man who always helps out and is always willing to take part in any event.

• Ryan Nolan Brerton, Ballyroe, Athy - Ryan has been an integral part of re-establishing the Ballyroe Resident's Association. Ryan has taken on the role of treasurer and has helped organise and facilitate the community activities so far this year. When the community cabin was put in earlier this year, Ryan helped clean and do up the cabin - putting a lot of work and effort into this. 

   

• Rhys Connolly, Anne Street - Rhys is a very active member of our community; he is very friendly and will always help when he can even before you ask. Rhys is an incredibly resilient person.  He chose to do his work experience with us from school and has been an absolute pleasure to have, and he will be greatly missed on Thursdays. He attends many events and training courses with us. He will be heading to college this year to study pre paramedics.   

   

• Zara Hoey, Saint Evans Park Monasterevin - This young person gives selflessly. She turns up to help at any event in the community. She does face painting for kids, and makes people feel wanted and cared for. She has volunteered in Monasterevin, Kildare Town in Dunmurray and Bishopsland and Newbridge at fun days, Easter and Summer and Halloween camps. She goes to visit the children in the Hazel and does art camps all for free and of her own time. She has done all this for the past 3 years or longer and asks for nothing in return. A truly inspiring young lady with a beautiful soul. 

   

• Molly Hogan, Nominated by Dunmurray Rise, Kildare - Molly has been a consistent Trojan. Even with losing her home with a devastating fire earlier this year, she still comes and gives a much needed helping hand. She engages well with everyone in our estate. She always puts others first, with a warm welcoming smile and positive energy.

   

• Charlie and Jamie McLoughlin, Liffey Heights Ballymore Eustace - The twins help around the estate with weeding and grass cutting. They are always on hand to help their dad. It is great to see such interest from the next generation. They inspire others in the area.

   

• Ella May Smith, Oakwood - Ella-May is a polite young lady and always helpful to her peers and community. She can be seen participating in both organised and impromptu activities around the estate like picking litter and pulling weeds.

Community Group of the Year: Award

Athy Sing and Sign! was honoured for its work promoting Irish Sign Language and for fostering  leadership, self-confidence, and personal growth within the community. 

Best Kept Garden & Best Pollinator Friendly Garden Awards:

The Best Kept Garden Award recognises those who take pride in their outdoor spaces—creating beautiful, welcoming environments that lift the spirits of everyone who passes by. These gardens are more than just well-maintained—they’re places of colour, creativity, and care that enhance the look and feel of our estates. 

The Best Pollinator Friendly Garden Award celebrates those who go a step further, designing spaces that support biodiversity and provide safe havens for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. 

These gardens play a vital role in protecting our environment and promoting sustainability at a local level, with winners including John and Jennifer Corrigan (Loughnamona, Leixlip), Joe and Nelly Egan (St Patricks, Kill), and Raymond and Patricia Troy (Avondale, Leixlip)

Pride In Your Place Awards

The Pride in Your Place Awards are a cornerstone of our annual celebration, recognising the incredible work carried out by local authority and approved housing body residents and residents’ associations across County Kildare.

This competition acknowledges the voluntary efforts made to maintain and enhance public open spaces, and more importantly, the sense of pride and community engagement that grows from that work. These are the people who roll up their sleeves, plant flowers, organise clean-ups, and bring neighbours together—all to make their estates and communities better places to live.

Over, the past number of years the awards have expanded to reflect the diverse and dynamic work happening across the county, from Age Friendly projects to Community Development initiatives and Climate Action efforts, the categories now better represent the broad scope of community-led activity in Kildare.

We’ve also introduced a Special Recognition Award—a new category designed to honour projects that truly impressed the judges but didn’t quite fit into the existing award categories. It’s a way to ensure that outstanding work never goes unnoticed.

Overall Estate Awards:

Category 1 Small Estates (1-40 Houses)

3rd Place – Wheatfield, Ardclough

2nd Place – Millview, Milltown

Winner: Corra Choill, Propserous

Category 2 Medium estates (41-80 Houses)

3rd Place - Ashgrove, Derrinturn

2nd Place - Sarto Park Naas

Winner: St Patricks, Kill

Category 3 Large Estates (80+ Houses)

3rd Place - Liffey Heights, Ballymore Eustace

2nd Place - Anne Street

Winner: Bishopsland, Kildare Town 

Community Development project awards 

Age Friendly Project

3rd Place - Loughnamona, Leixlip

2nd Place - Bishopsland 

Winner: Anne Street, Prosperous

Climate Action Project

3rd Place -Ballyroe Athy 

2nd Place -Dunmurray 

Winner: Ashgrove, Derrinturn  

Integration category

2nd Place - Avondale 

Winner: Saint Patricks Park Celbridge 

Community Development Project without community Centre 

2nd Place - Oakwood 

Winner: Dunmurray 

Community Development Project with community Centre 

3rd Place - Ashgrove, Derrinturn

2nd Place - Anne Street, Prosperous

Winner: Loughnamona, Leixlip

Special Recognition Awards

Honouring creativity, compassion, and community spirit, winners include Rosconnell Community Garden, Ballyroe (Best New Entry), Liffey Heights Ballymore Eustace (Best Estate Entrance), and Corra Coill (Innovation Award for their Bin Buddy initiative).