Comhairle na nOg Neighbourwood Project
Cherrymount was a hive of activity on Saturday last as volunteers, both young and young at heart, planted 1,500 native Irish trees to create Cherrymount Community NeighbourWoods.
Following on from the successful planting of a similar number of trees at Carriganore in 2021, Waterford Comhairle na nÓg, Waterford and South Tipperary Community Youth Service’s Be Environmental! Erasmus+ Project and the Forestry Department at Waterford Institute of Technology, were joined this year by Waterford City and County Council and Waterford Lions Club in converting one acre of the green area adjacent to John’s River in Waterford City into what will become an urban woodland.
The community project has also been developed to promote positive physical and mental health and give younger people the opportunity to affect real positive change and connect with their peers in a meaningful way after the pandemic.
Also, as part of an innovative lockdown project, Waterford Comhairle na nOg developed an app ‘CommuniTree’, which helps young people to stay connected and to complete environmental challenges to help their digital tree grow. The more trees that were grown digitally resulted in more trees being planted for NeighbourWoods.
Etse Oshiogwemoh, Chairperson of Comhairle for 2022 said, “In Comhairle we feel a native tree trail is important for a number of reasons. It helps to embrace and encourage the natural ecosystem and promotes a sustainable future for our community, from which we all benefit.”
The CommuniTree app is available on Google Playstore and Apple App Store.
