TV's Lee leads tributes to Victorian Wicklow Town
George Lee with Town Manager Michael Nicholson and Wicklow Enterprise Centre Manager Martina Robinson.
Wednesday January 18 2012
RTE BUSINESS GURU George Lee led the tributes to Victorian Wicklow Town at the finals of RTE'S Christmas Towns' competition in Killarney last month.
Wicklow Town Manager Michael Nicholson and Manager of Wicklow Enterprise Centre Martina Robinson travelled to Killarney for the live show, where winners in three categories were announced.
Wicklow town was announced as the winner of the medium town's category and Martina accepted the award from judge Conor Pope on live television. A mini video of Victorian Wicklow filmed earlier in the week was then broadcast to over 400,000 viewers across Ireland.
Judges selected Wicklow Town as the winner based on the Victorian theme led by 'Victorian Christmas Time' at Wicklow's Historic Gaol. The Gaol was transformed into a Victorian World of Wonder, complete with custom-built Victorian Streetscape and 11 actors donning traditional Victorian apparel.
Businesses throughout the town came on board, decorating shop windows in traditional Victorian style, with staff donning the period costumes of Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen. Martina Robinson, who launched the Victorian programme at Wicklow Gaol, told George Lee that the business people of Wicklow had really got behind the initiative to make it a huge success. She congratulated Wicklow Town Council, Wicklow Chamber of Commerce, the Wicklow Traders Association, CFL Events and all the businesses who came on board with the initiative.
' Wicklow looked superb on national television. More than 400,000 people tuned in to the show - this equates to an ad value on national television in excess of €100,000.' Wicklow Traders Association and Chamber President Denis Fielding was equally delighted with the award.
