‘Advent Sign Shine' under way

THIS Advent, the local Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland and Methodist churches, along with Clonakilty Tidy Towns, are engaging in a novel initiative called ‘Advent Sign Shine,’ in which the members of the community are being encouraged to clean public road signs between now and Christmas. 

Rev Kingsley Sutton said: “Road signs can often become dirty from dust and green algae due to wet weather, making them hard to read. By encouraging people to clean them at Advent, it is hoped to make the link that this season is about cleaning up our lives in preparation for the coming of Jesus. 

‘Apart from improving the appearance of West Cork in a very practical way, it is hoped this initiative will be like a sign in itself of the goodness of God breaking out among us.’ 

Emphasising the need to be aware of safety at all times, to wear hi-viz tops and to carry out the sign cleaning by day, the organisers of this initiative are asking people to do one sign near their home and that a soft sweeping brush and a bucket of warm soapy water will usually clean even the worst signs. 

People are also encouraged to take ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of the signs and share it #AdventSignShine