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WITH over 15,000 votes through social media, the community of Tralee answered the call this Christmas in supporting the inaugural Christmas Display competition.
As the lights slowly start to come down, Tralee Chamber today announced the winners of this year’s competition with three prizes presented.
In all 46 businesses in Tralee took part in the inaugural Christmas Displays competition, which was supported generously by Connect Kerry, The Kerryman, Radio Kerry, Kerry’s Eye, Traleetoday.ie and the Tralee Advertiser with a combined advertising prize package valued in excess of €13,000.
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The Public Choice Award, which was voted on through Facebook by the members of the Public, went to the 3,2,1 Down Syndrome Kerry Shop Unit on Strand Road.
Speaking about the award Kevin McCarthy, President of Tralee Chamber said, “The public recognised the huge effort made by the team in the Down Syndrome shop, in particular the fact that they are a charity themselves and that their entire display was available for sale, which meant the display was constantly being worked on by their team”.
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The Judges Choice Award, which was selected by the Retail Team of Tralee Chamber Alliance, recognised the incredible efforts made by businesses this year to showcase their business and bring some festive cheer to Tralee this Christmas.
The prize was awarded to Connolly Jewellers on Bridge Street. Sandra Rusk, Chair of the Retail Team said; “Norma and Martin from Connolly’s Jewellers put in a huge amount of work this Christmas into their display, which not only included their own window and shopfront, but this year also included a number of the planter boxes on their street, which they had to re-decorate each day throughout the season.”
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The Town Pride Award was an award that was introduced during the competition by the Retail Team in Tralee Chamber to recognise that in a year when so many businesses were either not trading or trading in extremely limited circumstances, they still made huge efforts to decorate their businesses and show support for the town.
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The winner of the Town Pride Award went to Ballygarry House Hotel. Kevin McCarthy of Tralee Chamber said “Christmas 2020 was incredibly difficult for so many businesses, in particular the hospitality and tourism sector, many of whom couldn’t trade because of the restrictions.
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You could forgive them for not taking part because for so many they did not get to trade properly this Christmas, yet so many of them still put up their Christmas displays to brighten the streets and entrances to the town and pass on that Christmas cheer to the public.
Padraig and his team in Ballygarry every year make such a huge effort, and by now their Christmas Tree at the entrance to the town has become iconic.”
Recognising the incredible effort made by all involved, Tralee Chamber, on behalf of the businesses of Tralee presented Sean Murphy and his team in Sean Murphy Electrical, with a commemorative plaque.
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Ken Tobin, CE of Tralee Chamber said “The work undertaken by Sean and his team, along with the outdoor crews from Kerry County Council each year in the Christmas Street Lighting is incredible. This year the work seemed to have meant even more to the people of Tralee. It wasn’t just that they installed more lighting and an additional Christmas Tree on Denny St; it was more that with so much else cancelled this Christmas, the Street Lighting brought the entire town together and gave us a much-needed boost.”
The Public Choice Award and the Judges Choice award will also be presented with a cheque from the Garvey Group in Tralee for charities of their choice.
