Mums’ word nets garden two prizes

IT STARTED as a drive by local mums to tackle an unsightly piece of waste ground — now a spectacular garden designed by Diarmuid Gavin for a West Cork town has won two prestigious awards.

Trá an Oileán just outside Schull won a Community Tourism award in the Pride of Place All Island competition at the weekend — on top of scooping the Best Social Inclusion Project in the 2011 Muintir na Tíre Pride in Our Community Awards last week.

The three-quarter acre spread of undulating green grass and carefully chosen coastal sea grasses with comfy benches cost €70,000, about €30,000 of which had to be raised by local volunteers.