Recreation | Thurles Information

Fundraiser For Upgrade Of Loughtagalla Park, Thurles.

Ms Breada Ryan, Community Development Worker, North Tipperary Development Company, Reports.

“As I stated in my report yesterday on Thurles.Info; the main purpose of the Loughtagalla project is to develop people and child friendly facilities, taking into consideration all age groups, but in particular children and young people, some with intellectual, sensory, and special needs, and all who regularly visit the area, as well as the social needs of the older generation.

GoFundMe Page.

To this end, a GoFundMe page has now been set up in recent hours.

The organisers and community would greatly appreciate the support of Thurles, for this Fundraiser for the upgrade of Loughtagalla Park, and invite you to make a donation, however small, and ask you to ‘spread the word’ amongst friends of Thurles Town, both at home and abroad.

I thank you most sincerely for your support.”

Signed: Breada Ryan, (Community Development Worker, Thurles.)

Donations: To donate to this very worthy project and follow closely its continued progress, please click HERE.

Proposed Upgrade Of Loughtagalla Park, Thurles.

Proposed Upgrade Of Loughtagalla Park – Supported By Sicap Under Their Empowering Communities Action.

Ms Breada Ryan, Community Development Worker, North Tipperary Development Company Reports.

North Tipperary Development Company under their Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, in conjunction with Loughtagalla Residents Group, came together in 2018 to develop a 3–5 year plan. The first objective of this plan is to upgrade the facilities of their local park.

The main purpose of the project is to develop people and child friendly facilities, considering all age groups and in particular children and young people with intellectual, sensory, and special needs as well as the social needs of older people.

North Tipperary Development Company engaged the services of Ron de Brun of Silva Build Cork, to develop a set of Concept drawings for the upgrade of the park. To progress, NTDC decided to carry out a survey in July 2019 to get community agreement on the key priorities for the Loughtagalla area.

These survey findings identified plainly that the community very much welcomed the proposal to develop the park, which visualized a mixture of active and passive recreation areas, areas for quiet contemplation and more robust play, enhanced play equipment for younger children.

The provision of a sensory garden was supported to address issues of social inclusion and provide the first such garden for Thurles and its hinterland. The use of a modern form of design in the provision of equipment developed around the theme of biodiversity was another highly preferred option. All these ideas were considered to progress the design to the next stage.

Work has been continued behind the scenes by a dedicated subgroup to progress to the next stage, seeking planning permission for the development. A planning application was prepared and submitted in late summer to Tipperary County Council and permission was granted in late autumn of 2020.

During early 2021 a lot of work took place to prepare for a Request for Tender which was advertised on E- Tenders, latter the Irish Government’s electronic tendering platform administered by the Office of Government Procurement.

Concurrently the steering subgroup also assisted with material for a promotional video (See above) which was funded by the North Tipperary Development Company and co-ordinated by their SICAP Worker. This video completed in July 2021 will be used to support the Loughtagalla Park & Residents Committee fundraising activities to source the elocal contribution of €40,000.

Plans To Put Fun Back Into Picnicking.

My Waste outlines plans to put fun back into ‘Picnicking’, while taking 2.25 million single-use bottles & cups out of circulation this June Bank Holiday weekend.

More than 2.25 million single use plastic bottle and cups are used in Ireland each Bank Holiday Weekend.
My Waste has some simple tips for enjoying the great outdoors and picnicking with less waste and stress this Summer.

Planning ahead for dining in the great outdoors this June bank holiday weekend will help reduce waste, keep millions of single use cups, bottles and cutlery from ending up in our waste system or as litter and reduce costs to local businesses, according to My Waste.

Each day in Ireland more than half a million single use coffee cups, and close to a quarter of a million single use plastic bottles are used – the equivalent of 2.25million single use cups and bottles over a bank holiday weekend.

My Waste, Ireland’s official guide to waste management, is appealing to day-trippers and holiday makers to reduce waste and leave no trace when picnicking and bench dining by following some simple tips:

1 – New is Not Always Best.

Exactly how much do you need for a picnic? Picnicking and bench dining are light hearted and fun events so don’t rush out to buy lots of new items for enjoying the great outdoors – use mis-matched plates and cutlery, old cushions and rugs etc. Lots of school supplies also work well for picnics such as lunch-boxes and water bottles.

2 – Reuse.

Bring your own cup/water bottle, cutlery & reusable straw etc…Using reusable cups and straws for take-away drinks and self-services not only helps to reduce this waste but also helps to reduce the cost to businesses. Tap water from home and topped up later for free at a refill.ie point will provide great hydration. A knife, fork & spoon wrapped in a cloth napkin fits in even the smallest bag.

3 – Portion Size Matters.

Be realistic about how much food will be eaten. Packing too much food is exhausting and a struggle to transport, and it is likely that it won’t all be used leading to food waste. Pack the food you like and know you will eat. Also – remember to leave room for ice-cream.

4 – Spice Up Your Life.

Have a favourite sauce or condiment? Use a small spice jar to transport a small quantity of your favourite spice or nominate one person on the picnic to bring the condiments and flavourings. If you must use sachets – only take what you need – nobody needs 20 sugars/ketchups – these will be wasted within minutes and they represent a big cost to business and to our environment.

5 – Bring it all Back Home.

Bring any waste you might have home and dispose of it in your domestic bin ensuring any food waste goes into the food waste bin and all recyclables are placed clean, dry and lose into the recycling bin.

Most of all – enjoy the Irish great outdoors this summer.

Speaking at the launch of the My Waste campaign, Minister of State Green Party Politician Mr Ossian Smyth said, “We can keep costs down for local businesses up and down the country this summer by simply bringing our own cups and containers and reducing the amount of single use items we use. Aside from the positive impact for our society and economy as we reopen, this will make a real difference to our local environment – we can prevent litter and plastic waste from single use items from polluting our natural beauty spots.”

Ms Pauline McDonogh, Waste Prevention Officer with the Southern Regional Waste Management Planning Office and My Waste spokesperson said, “By following My Waste’s simple tips holiday makers and day trippers can help protect Ireland’s beauty spots from litter and reduce unnecessary waste, all the while saving money, supporting small businesses and improving their outdoor experience.

Simply using reusable cups and bottles is a great way to minimise the amount of waste generated. It is worth noting that reusables were not banned during the Covid-19 pandemic. Government policy continues to promote contactless coffee and advocates for reusable options. There are also 1,500 free tap water points in businesses, public buildings and outdoor locations thanks to Refill Ireland”.

“After such a difficult year, it is important that we can enjoy all that Irish great outdoors have to offer. This can be achieved in a very stress-free way, by packing light or purchasing some edibles on route, using items we already have at home, and keeping that keep cup or water bottle close to hand”, she continued.

Thurles Town’s Magical Riverside Walk.

With huge “Thank You” to Catherine Fogarty, Rona Sorrell, Una and David Crowley, Mary Joe Fanning, Eamonn Medley and Eamonn Mason and indeed all who have contributed their voluntary service to this area of Thurles.

Thurles Town’s Magical Riverside Walk.

The Riverside Walk is a magical place
With butterflies, otters and trees,
There’s rushes, wild flowers and ivy,
Bird houses and honey bees.

There’s bugs and nettles and hedges,
Long grasses and ducks galore.
And it’s nice to take a walk there,
Alongside the River Suir.

And as you go along the walk,
There’s something else to see:
The entrance through a little door
Inside a rotting tree.

A tiny fairy lives there.
She checks that you are good
And taking care of nature,
Like everybody should.

And late at night she comes to life
And flies through Thurles’ streets;
Checking under pillows
For unwanted children’s teeth.

So why not visit this fairy
And the otters and ducks and flowers?
Come stroll along the Riverside walk
And while away the hours.

END

Thurles Public Disappointed By Litter Collection Failure.

Thurles.info is disappointed to report that once again the litter bins within the Thurles Town Park area are overflowing this weekend.

**Situation as at Saturday evening May 8th 2021**.
**The above six individual bins were located in the area of Thurles Town Park**.
*Pictures G.Willoughby*.

Although we had reported that some improvement was evident last weekend, it would appear that the path to progress may be slower than we had anticipated.

Two issues have emerged which stand as obstacles to improvement.

Firstly, it would appear that the bins are not being emptied on a sufficiently regular basis. The bins were emptied before last bank holiday weekend, but they were not emptied this weekend and rubbish has piled up again.

Secondly, the extra bins added to the Town Park lack any signage to indicate that they are there for the public to use. Consequently, they are being overlooked and remain relatively empty.

We know someone is listening to the pleas of the public and we are grateful to them, but we now ask that they address the issues of infrequent rubbish collection and poor signage as a matter of priority.

Please help to keep this wonderful amenity, that is Thurles Town Park, tidy.