Westmeath County Outdoor Recreation Plan Workshops
Two in-person workshops are set to take place this month as part of the development of a new County Outdoor Recreation Plan( CORP) for County Westmeath.
The interactive meetings will allow clubs, groups and community organisations involved in providing and facilitating outdoor recreation to share their thoughts and feedback on improving and enhancing outdoor amenities.
The workshops are especially aimed at participants representing grass roots clubs and groups engaging in Outdoor Recreation right across Westmeath.
Outdoor Recreation activities take place in the natural environment, such as walking, mountain biking, orienteering, angling, paddle sports and open water swimming for instance. Please note, outdoor activities which require a specialist course or field of play e.g. GAA, Camogie, Ladies Football, Soccer, Golf are generally classed as sport in Ireland and these workshops are targeted specifically at outdoor recreation groups.
Workshops
The workshops are due to take place in Athlone and Mullingar
- Thursday 14th August 7.00pm- 9.00pm in Annebrook House Hotel, Mullingar
- Tuesday 19th August 7.00pm- 9.00pm in Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone
The events are FREE to attend but participants must register in advance at the following links:
Mullingar: Click this link to register your interest for the Mullingar Workshop
Athlone: Click this link to register your interest in the Athlone workshop
Anthony Wheat, Coordinator of Westmeath Sports Partnership, is encouraging as many groups as possible engaged in outdoor recreation to take part:
“We want to make sure that this new plan truly reflects what the people of County Westmeath need and want to see in outdoor recreation. We want to hear from groups and clubs involved in cycling, walking, water sports, swimming and many, many other outdoor activities. This is a county plan and we want to get as many opinions as possible to create this vital roadmap for the future of outdoor recreation in our local area.”
Every local authority across Ireland is required to develop a County Outdoor Recreation Plan as part of the Government’s ‘Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027’ which is led by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
County Westmeath’s strategy is being developed by Westmeath County Council in association with consultants, S3 Solutions.
Public Survey
A public survey which is designed to enable residents from across the county to have their say and to shape the development of the plan for the area is also available for anyone to make a submission.
The deadline for submission has been extended to August 19 and this survey can be accessed by clicking this link here.
Further opportunities for members of the public to engage with the consultation process will be announced in the coming days.