A group of asylum seekers have been hailed as heroes for saving a Cork village's Tidy Towns after dwindling numbers had almost forced its members to wrap up their operations.
Sabrina Lyons and Siobhán Nally, who were the last two remaining volunteers in Cloyne, had all but given up on rescuing the age-old community tradition.
After several call-outs to members of the community to get involved went unanswered, Sabrina and Siobhan feared they would have to call it day. That is until a group of asylum seekers, who recently moved to the area, responded in the most remarkable way possible. Some 15 people turned up to participate in what was one of the biggest clean-ups Cloyne had seen in months.
And after hearing about Siobhán and Sabrina's efforts to keep Cloyne clean, the new recruits volunteered to come on board for two days a week instead of the usual once-a-week clean-up.
Sabrina said the village had been transformed after just a month of the new volunteers helping out
"There ended up just being two of us left because the same people had been doing it for years and were understandably exhausted. On the first day the new volunteers came on board we were expecting to have one or two people, which would have been a big help."
My eyes nearly fell out of my head when I saw how many people were there. It was amazing.
"Even if they turned up once or twice that would have been brilliant but they turn up every single time. They don't stop working. We always limit it to one hour but the new volunteers just kept going," said Sabrina.
"The first day, they just blitzed the place. A few of them went off doing weeding. Others swept, but nothing was too much in their eyes. There are people on social media trying to lead us to believe that asylum seekers are limited to single men who are coming here to cause trouble.
"Being here, you realise this could not be further from the truth, especially when you speak to the children.
The people who are afraid to leave the house because of the inaccurate things they see on social media are only losing out on learning about different cultures and valuable friendships.
Sabrina said the improvements to the area were immediately obvious.
"Our score the first week in the Tidy Towns competition was very low. People don't seem to count cigarette butts as rubbish but they equate to the deduction of a point for every one you find. The amount being dumped from the local chippers and pubs was ridiculous and there was no need for it.
"There has been a vast improvement since and this is all down to our new volunteers. They are the sweetest and most hardworking people you will ever meet."
And Cloyne isn't the only Tidy Towns organisation to benefit from the support of international protection applicants. Almost half of the 52 people living in Abbeyville House, Fermoy — the scene of previous anti-migrant protests — now volunteer with Fermoy Tidy Towns twice weekly.
The former St Joseph’s Convent, which is home to 140 international protection applicants, including 69 children, also sees its residents helping to keep their new home town clean.
Noel McCarthy, Fine Gael county councillor and chairperson of Fermoy Tidy Towns highlighted the positive contribution of their new volunteers.
"The new volunteers are making a vital contribution to our community," he said. "Also, the friendships we are forming with them can't be underestimated. They have been so good to us and we have great numbers out with us every week. The support is as strong as ever and the work they are doing with us is unbelievable. We are really delighted to be working with them.
"This is going to be a long term working partnership that will be encouraged going forward. We are very proud of our Tidy Towns group. There has been great feedback and goodwill from people."