IN ALMOST every parish across Limerick, there are people who quietly give up their time, week after week, to make their communities better places to live.

They pick up rubbish, pull wild weeds, tend to flower beds, water hanging baskets, cut grass and scrub graffiti off walls. All without payment or any expectation of recognition.

For some, it’s a few hours every week when they meet up with other like-minded people, for others, it’s an evening here and there, whenever they find the time.

Some groups have plenty of volunteers to share the workload. Others rely on the same handful – or less – of familiar faces.

And it can be a thankless task. Imagine spending an evening picking up litter only to return days later to find the place just as bad, or discovering that a hanging basket lovingly tended to has been needlessly damaged.

But rather than throw in the towel, they roll up their sleeves and go again.

Late last week, some of those selfless volunteers received well-deserved recognition.

Bruff Tidy Towns were crowned overall champions at the Limerick Going for Gold awards, topping 32 finalist communities.

The competition, funded and co-ordinated by Limerick City and County Council in partnership with the JP McManus Charitable Foundation, attracted 82 applications this year.

As JP McManus recently remarked, litter is something that’s neither above nor below anybody. Everyone can get involved.

Following Bruff’s success on Thursday night, there was further cause for celebration on Friday when neighbours Kilmallock took gold in the Town Centre First category at the national TidyTowns Awards in Croke Park.

Long after the awards are over, these volunteers will be back out again with their gloves and pickers. To all those who give so generously of their time, thank you. It’s not said often enough but your work does not go unnoticed.