As a place to live is you could not find a much better place than Oldcastle, however there is an obvious need to increase public awareness throughout the town of the good things Oldcastle has to offer. Since inception, Oldcastle Tidy Towns Group has looked for ways to carry out projects to help promote the economic, social and cultural vitality of Oldcastle.

Civic Pride is about developing and building a local sense of belonging for existing residents, it’s about welcoming newcomers who are looking for a place to live or work in, it’s about giving everybody an opportunity to get involved in their community, and generating a sense of pride in their immediate neighbourhood or town.
 
Civic Pride is about getting to know your neighbours, these days many people seldom see their neighbours, regretfully in some communities its many years since individuals recognised many of their neighbours, or counted them as friends, when was the last time you had a neighbour over for “tea and scones”.
 
However one could ask “what has happened to our town’s civic pride” and what has caused the obvious decline in our civic pride.

• We Litter our streets daily, and while the Council’s street cleaning crew do a excellent job, the town is too big for the limited cleaning hours allotted to Oldcastle  but because of our own personal lack of Civic Pride, each day  more litter is deposited on the streets of our town;
• Many Dog Owners do not make even the slightest effort to clean up their animals mess, thus fouling our streets, parks and residential areas, it would appear they feel it is someone else’s responsibility to clean up after them;
• Some Residents / Businesses take pride in the appearance of their residence or business premises, however many people no longer feel it is their duty to sweep / clear weeds from outside their homes or places of business. Again it would appear we feel it is someone else’s responsibility to clean up. Ironically it would take so little time or effort to clean the area outside our residence or business premises, and the difference it would make would be phenomenal;
• Have you ever thought of Volunteering with a local organisation? While there are a good number of people volunteering in Oldcastle, there is no organisation that will not take on a few extra volunteers. We appeal to parents, retired people, teenagers to consider getting involved in some club or organisation, a few hours a week with a youth group, sports club, tidy towns or residents association, church group, school homework club would make a difference, and ensures that you remain active and make a difference.