Welcome to the latest activity bulletin by the team at Westmeath Sports Partnership.
June and July are some of our busiest months’ and it was fantastic to see such a great response to some many of our courses and programmes.
The team at Westmeath Sports Partnership were delighted to be able to provide opportunities for people to try kayaking, canoe polo, activator poles, open water swimming, and of course, to run, jog or walk with Ray D’Arcy in Mullingar as part of the ‘Run With Ray’.
Below you will find just a sample of some of the work we have been doing in the last number of weeks with communities and groups throughout the county.
Well Westmeath At Belvedere House And Gardens
We were very happy to be able to provide some sports taster events at the ‘Well Westmeath Expo’ at Belvedere House and Gardens in early June including activator poles and orienteering.
The event, organised by Slaintecare Healthy Communities and Healthy Westmeath, was a massive success and we look forward to supporting it again next year.
Canoe Polo Taster Sessions For Girls And Adults At Mullingar Harbour
We had a massive reaction to our two six-week programmes with our friends in Mullingar Harbour Canoe Polo Club.
Using the fantastic resource in Mullingar town, great fun was had on the water by everyone.
Learn To Cycle Programme
After a wonderful six weeks, our tutors Niall and Damien wrapped up the Learn To Cycle programme for children with additional needs in mid-June.
It’s fair to say that the course left everyone with a smile on their face, from the children, to parents, and even the tutors themselves!
National Play Day
Dozens of children and their parents from all across Co. Westmeath attended a wonderful day filled with fun activities at the Athlone Regional Sports Centre on July 7.
Thankfully, the weather held up and there was brilliant excitement as part of the various outdoor activities.
Run With Ray
One of the highlights of the summer so far was the fabulous ‘Run with Ray’ on the Old Rail Trail in Mullingar in late June.
Over 200 people turned out to take part in the event with the RTE broadcaster on a beautiful evening at the fantastic amenity.
We also have a full gallery of images on our website from the day.
Open Water Swimming
June and July means the water is finally warming up and for several hardy souls it also means a chance to improve their open water skills, thanks to our colleagues at Swim Ireland.
From Beach to Buoy and Dipper to Swimmer, the participants of our courses at Lough Lene and Coosan Point have got great experience at two of the most beautiful settings for swimming in Ireland.
Activator Poles In Mullingar And Athlone
Thanks to our friends in Healthy Westmeath, we have been able to provide TWO Activator Poles courses this summer, in Athlone and Mullingar.
The action kicked off on the Old Rail Trail before the Athlone RSC hosted the second course.
Yesterday evening saw our Athlone outdoor activator pole group kick off. 🤩
Meeting at the Athlone Regional Sports Centre, the group took the pathway onto the scenic Old Rail Trail Westmeath greenway.
Thanks to tutor Garry for the expert guidance 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/29w4RGit1g— WESTMEATH SPORTS PARTNERSHIP (@WESTMEATHSPORT) July 18, 2023
Dublin Mini Marathon Medal Presentation To Athlone Youth Group
We were delighted to see so many young women take on the challenge of the Dublin mini-marathon this year from the Youth Work Ireland Athlone group.
They were presented with their medals after some brilliant coaching sessions led by tutor Damien Mitchell.
Learn To Kayak At Lough Owel And Coosan Point
One of the most popular courses we run every year are the ‘Learn To Kayak’ series and it proved no different this summer.
We had two wonderful groups achieve Level 1 Kayaking competency under the eye of tutor Bob Lacey and his team, ensuring everyone was safe at all times.
Volunteer Support Programme
We are very fortunate that we can offer 20 clubs across Co. Westmeath the chance to upskill and train their coaches through our special ‘Volunteer Support Programme’
The deadline for submissions is the August 23 and you can find more information here
Instagram Competition Winners
We passed a very significant milestone on Instagram in June when we reached over 1,000 followers. To thank you for supporting us, we ran a special competition for four ‘One 4 All’ vouchers for some of our fans.
Well done again to our four winners.
🤩We were delighted to be able to present our One 4 All Vouchers to our lucky winners from our Instagram competition earlier this week.
Well done again to Zita Dowdall, Aoife Kilmurray, Emer Savage and Jenny O’Donovan. 🎉 pic.twitter.com/4rw3V5TrLc
— WESTMEATH SPORTS PARTNERSHIP (@WESTMEATHSPORT) July 14, 2023
Kayaking Summer Camps For Teenagers
We were very fortunate again this year to be able to provide two summer camps for teenagers at Coosan Point and Mullingar Harbour
Despite the very mixed weather, Bob and his team really enjoyed helping the teens get to grips with all things kayaking
Daily Mile Presentation
It was fantastic to have the legendary Frank Greally attend Presentation Senior School, Mullingar, on the same day as Run with Ray to celebrate their Daily Mile success.
It was last February that we helped kick off the exercise programme and the school and pupils as well as staff have really come behind it.
Woodlands For Health
The wonderful setting of Belvedere House and Gardens was where our Woodlands for Health course wrapped up in June.
Thanks to everyone who took part and enjoyed walks in some of the beautiful amenities we have in the county.
More To Come
The fun and activity never stops for the Westmeath Sports Partnership team with activities in August including mountain biking, more watersports, and a safeguarding course towards the end of the month.
As ever, the best place to keep up to date with all the information is right here on the Westmeath Sports Partnership website, or through our social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Alternatively, you can always email us at info@westmeathsports.ie.
We look forward to our next activity bulletin coming your way in early October.
