€98,500 to be spent on promoting physical activity and inclusivity in County Wicklow

Part of over €5 million in Dormant Accounts funding split between Active Disability Ireland and Local Sports Partnerships across the country, the €98,500 for Wicklow LSP will be spread between five activities based in Arklow, Rathdrum, Wicklow town, Dunlavin and county-wide.

From supporting the creation and progression of local sports hubs to the purchasing of equipment and promoting physical activity among teenage girls, Wicklow Sports Partnership coordinator Aisling Hubbard explained how the funding windfall will benefit communities the length and breadth of the county.

"We have a sports hub that is going in Arklow, operating out of Coral Leisure, which has activities for the schools, the community and clubs, and the funding will go to support the programmes and activities that are set up there," Aisling said.

"As part of the Outdoor Recreation Strategy for Wicklow, Rathdrum will be developed into an outdoor recreation hub, and we have some seed money now through the Dormant Accounts funding to start that process.

"That will probably involve a lot of activities within primary and secondary schools, but also some community outreach.

"Then there is a 'Women in Sport' element for teenage girls, basically targeting teenage girls and trying to stop the dropout from sport, which will be a county-wide initiative.

"This will involve introducing general physical opportunities for them, not necessarily the sporting route. There will be intro session within the gyms that will run a six to eight-week programme where the teenagers will be taught how to use weights etc., so they can do self-directed exercise afterwards, especially if they're not interested in the mainstream sports.

"There is a portion of it for inclusion capital, which includes equipment for clubs to help them become a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities," she continued.

"That will be put out to all the clubs in Wicklow, and we will work in other areas as well, for example, we're putting in an accessible mat on Wicklow Harbour as part of it, which will be managed by the swimming club and provide easier access to the water for people with mobility issues.

"Then there is a pilot project around an introduction to trail running, sanctuary runners, and the direct provision centres and the Ukrainian population.

"It's called Trail Crú and has started already. It is run voluntarily by a lady called Alesia from Dunlavin.

"She is a trail runner and has gone into this area and received some really good feedback and membership, and people have gone in to do the local park runs on the back of the programme.

"So, basically, we have a pot of money there for that to help them with equipment and training."

Asked about the funding for the sports hubs in Arklow and Rathdrum, Aisling explained that this latest injection of funding is part of longer-term projects in the two towns.

"In Arklow, we're into year five of the sports hub project, and the funding that will be allocated to it from this latest round will be part of a €180,000 investment over five years," she replied.

"Rathdrum would be the same, but it is into year two of the project there.

"There is a new outdoor recreation strategy being done, and we're about to start the Rathdrum project now over the winter.

"Even though there is only say €20,000 allocated to it, it is part of a bigger project that will also total €180,000."