By Sean Moriarty Volunteers from Killarney Tidy Towns welcomed nine Ukrainian refugees to their crew on Monday night.

This week marked the third week that the volunteer crew were on the streets of Killarney, giving their time freely to make the town look its best ahead of judging in the annual Tidy Towns Competition. Killarney took a gold medal last year but it is 2011 since the town last won the overall title. Johnny Maguire of the Killarney Tidy Towns committee said he was pleased to see volunteer numbers growing. Last Monday 33 people put their hands up to clear litter or paint fences on the Hans Liebherr Road. The newcomers included nine Ukrainians and an Irish-American couple who have recently re-located to the area. In a random act of kindness Kieran Culloty of the Reeks Centra offered free tea and treats when the crew were finished their evening’s work after he saw the team in action. “It is the whole psychological thing of doing something for your community,” Johnny told the Killarney Advertiser. “And people get to know each other and make new friends. It was while over the cup of tea at the finish that we really got to hear the back stories of the people there.” The group will meet again at 6pm on Monday night at Lidl car park. Johnny would also like to encourage residents' groups who want to set up cleaning operations in their estate. He can be contacted on 085 8722546.