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Communities across Ireland celebrate Love This Place Day

Communities across Ireland celebrate Love This Place Day

 

We were absolutely bowled over with the support from communities across Ireland who came together to join us in celebrating ‘Love This Place Day’ recently.

Following a call out asking individuals and communities to take small actions to protect and respect and care for Ireland’s outdoor spaces, people turned out in their droves.

From organizing community clean ups with local Tidy Town Groups, family groups coming together to clean up their local environment and individuals simply litter picking on a local walk,  people shared their love for their local areas.

Even before Love This Place Day on July 28th, there was a frenzy of activity with people getting outdoors sharing the simple actions they were doing and tagging #LoveThisPlace #LeaveNoTrace in their social media posts. There were over 180 mentions of #LoveThisPlace across all our social networks as well as people taking the ‘Love This Place Promise’ on our website which helped create a buzz and inspire others to get involved.

This year’s campaign focused on three Calls to Action:

  • Stick to the Path – asking the public to stay on pathways to avoid damaging habitats;
  • Be a Responsible Dog Owner – asking dog owners to pick up dog waste and to ensure dogs remain on leashes, especially in proximity to farm animals;
  • Keep Ireland Litter-Free – asking the public to dispose of their rubbish correctly

Community Clean ups

In addition to the numerous cleans up which took place across the country, Leave No Trace organised three Community Clean ups; Lees Road in County Clare, Benone Beach in County Derry and  Barna Woods in County Galway. These were well supported and included a Leave No Trace certified trainer who guided the clean up activity and provided practical information and insights on how to care for Ireland’s outdoor spaces and biodiversity.

The Hike Life with Roz Purcell

We were delighted to collaborate with Author, outdoor enthusiast and founder of the Hike life Roz Purcell  in a special Hike Life event in Bray, County Wicklow on Friday 26th July.  Roz was joined by Leave No Trace’s Rachel Shawe, Ivana Connor and Ellie Berry, as well as a large group of individuals who had been selected via Roz’s instagram page.  As well as the litter picking hike, the day included some fun educational activities which highlighted the ethos of Leave No Trace.

Competition 

Thanks to everyone who entered our competition – to take a photo or video of their action with the hashtag  #LoveThisPlaceDay. We had a huge amount of entries, including stunning photos and videos capturing the beauty of Ireland’s natural landscapes.  Congratulations to the winner Adam Bermingham who won a €150.00 Great Outdoors voucher.

Finally, We would like to thank everyone for getting involved again this year and a special acknowledgement to all our partners (listed below), who have supported us throughout the campaign which concludes at the end of August..

 Our Partners

Sport Ireland is the authority tasked with the development of sport in Ireland. Sport Ireland Outdoors, a function of Sport Ireland, works with a large number of sporting bodies and other organisations to develop and promote a variety of outdoor sports, to support the development of recreational trails throughout Ireland, which are all developed to encourage more people to be active in the great outdoors.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is the Executive Agency within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the presentation and preservation of our National Parks and Nature Reserves.
The Department of Rural and Community Development’s mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The Department of Rural and Community Development acts as Secretariat for Comhairle na Tuaithe – the Countryside Council – which is made up of representatives from farming organisations, recreational users of the countryside and State bodies with a responsibility or interest in the countryside. Comhairle na Tuaithe endorses Leave No Trace.  Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027  is here 
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is a government office that delivers public services for flood protection, managing government properties and heritage services. A core part of its remit is maintaining and presenting Ireland’s most iconic heritage properties, including Ireland’s two World Heritage Sites, 780 National Monuments and over 2,000 acres of gardens and parklands. As the leading agency for flood risk management in Ireland, the OPW minimises the impacts of flooding through sustainable planning. It also manages a significant part of the State’s property portfolio and provides accommodation for government departments, over 700 Garda Properties and approximately 550 offices.
Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development Authority, and its role is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural, and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland.
 
Waterways Ireland is the cross-border navigational authority responsible for the management, maintenance, development, and promotion of over 1000 km of inland navigable waterways, principally for recreational purposes.
​​​Coillte, Ireland’s state forestry company, is responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested lands. Coillte is the nation’s largest forester and provider of outdoor recreation space. It also enables wind-energy on the estate, processes forestry by-products and undertakes nature rehabilitation projects of scale. Coillte delivers the multiple benefits of forestry, including forests for climate, for nature, for wood and for people. For further information visit www.coillte.ie.
Dublin City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in  Dublin. The campaign is also supported by Clare County Council Fingal County Council, Galway County Council, Wicklow County Council.
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