Cork County Public Participation Network NewsAUGUST 2018

PPN NEWSLETTER

The staff and Pupils of Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoill Glanmire are thrilled to be Overall Winners at the Cork County Federation Muintir ná Tíre Pride in our Community School Garden Awards 2018 which were held in County Hall on Monday June 18th 2018.

The Competition is just in its sixth year and judging from the amount of entries received, the enthusiasm and high standard and quality involved from all the schools, it was a huge success. The competition involves each school developing/planning a garden in their own way. Both adults and students work together to decide what type of garden they want to create. The competition encourages all students to get involved in working in the garden and the competition also promotes sustainability and biodiversity.

The judges were very impressed with the high standard of the gardens involved. Mr Sean Holland introduced the schools involved and congratulated each school individually. This was then followed by an audio visual presentation that showcased all of the schools hard work. Sean then thanked Muintir ná Tíre for all their hard work in making the Pride in the Community School Garden’s Awards a huge success. He also thanked Cork County Council for their huge support.

Seamus Forde of Cork County Federation Muintir ná Tíre was highly impressed with the standard of the gardens entered and spoke about the importance of getting into the garden and “getting your hands dirty.” He asked pupils to think outside the box and to include lots of colour in their gardens. He also thought that the video

on the gardens was a good way for new entrants to see other school’s work and come up with new ideas. Mayor Declan Hurley was highly impressed with the response to the School Garden Awards and encouraged everyone to get involved. He congratulated all the schools and said they were all winners. He hoped next year’s competition would be even bigger and better. John O Regan of the Environment Directorate, Cork County Council was very impressed with the huge involvement from all the schools and congratulated all the schools on their huge contribution and the amount of work that was done by both students and pupils. Conor Nelligan Heritage Officer of Cork County Council thanked everyone for partaking and attending the Awards Ceremony. He said the competition was a huge success and congratulated all involved. Brendan Scahill HSE was highly impressed with the commitment of all the pupils involved and said that pupils would develop life skills by getting out and enjoying the garden.

About the Competition: The competition is run in conjunction with Cork County Council, Environment directorate and Heritage Section and Griffins Garden Centre. The aim of the “Pride in the Community Schools Competition” is to support pupils, teachers in County Cork, to bring nature, wildlife, plants and colours into their school grounds, to promote horticulture and biodiversity to give students a chance to interact with the environment and nature in a positive way. Studies have shown that school gardens promote positive environmental attitudes and provide an excellent opportunity to develop more positive attitudes towards science at an early age.

Cork County Muintir ná Tíre Pride in our Community Schools Garden Competition 2018

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Cork County Muintir ná Tíre Pride in our Community Schools Garden Competition 2018 continued

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CLICK THE LINKS

Here is some excellent information to be mindful of this summer season from the Healthy Ireland Summer Campaign. The information and links below could be helpful at some point over the summer or into the future.

Healthy Ireland is a Government-led initiative which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Ireland. The Healthy Ireland 2018 campaign is an awareness campaign that encourages people to make positive lifestyle choices to improve their physical and mental health and provides links to our partners for support and information.

The Summer campaign emphasises the benefits of making healthy changes with others. We’re encouraging people to get out and get active together this summer - whether walking with a group, visiting some of our many parks and heritage sites with family or sharing a salad or summer fruits with friends.

We encourage you to use the links to our partners below to find more information and handy tips on how to start to make some of these lifestyle changes this summer.

Healthy Ireland Summer Campaign

Eat Well• Safefood

• HSE healthy eating

• Bord Bia

• Breast feeding

• Alcohol advice

Be Well• Sport Ireland

• Parkrun

• Get Ireland Walking

• Community Games

• Get Ireland Active

• Ireland Active

• Ireland Sport

Think Well• Your Mental Health

• Spunout

• Dementia

• Mens Sheds

• GAA Healthy Clubs

• Quit.ie

• Office of Public Works

• Volunteer Ireland

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Cork Age Friendly OPC event in the Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire, Co. Cork. On the 30th April 2018, the Cork County Older Peoples Council (OPC) under the Age Friendly Programme held a celebratory event in the Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire, Co. Cork. All were welcomed by The Mayor of County Cork, Cllr. Declan Hurley who opened the event. Minister Jim Daly, Minister for Mental Health and Older People attended and spoke about issues affecting older people in the County. Speakers also included the Chair of the OPC, Ms Liz Maddox, Ms Mary Ryan, Director of Service, Cork County Council & Chair of the Age Friendly Alliance and Mr Seamus De Faoite, Housing Section, Cork County Council.

The event commenced at 10am with an exhibition from agencies and organisations that provide relevant services. This was a very exciting opportunity for people to learn, network and share ideas. There were over 300 members of the OPC at the event from all over Cork County. Speeches were followed by a 2 course lunch and dancing until the late afternoon.

Cork County Older Peoples Council (OPC) was established in 2015 by Cork County Council, as part of the Cork Age Friendly County Programme. The OPC is made up of an Executive Committee and a wider group of members who meet twice a year to celebrate positive ageing and their achievements. The OPC aims to be as representative as possible, by representing older people from all walks of life.

For further information on the Cork Age Friendly Programme or on the Older Peoples Council in Cork please contact the Co-ordinator Ms. Fiona Hayes at Tel: 021 4285338 or email: fiona.hayes@corkcoco.ie

Cork Age Friendly Older Peoples Council News

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Cork County Council has launched the Cork County Library Age Friendly Strategy 2018-2022. The strategy was developed following consultation with older people, their service providers and library staff.

Mary Ryan, Chair of the Age Friendly Alliance and Director of Service, Cork County Council said

“We are delighted to launch this strategy and action plan as a commitment to older adults who are at the very heart of our services in the Library Headquarters, in branches and on mobile libraries around the County”.

Cork County Library staff set out to ensure that older customers achieve the best use of library services and try to minimise the barriers that people may encounter. Initiatives recently developed by the Cork County Library Service include Lift to the Library and Digital Skills Training.

The Library Service and Local Link Cork (Rural Bus Service) plan to run a special Lift to the Library bus as a pilot in Bandon where the local link service will operate on one day a week collecting and dropping people to the library.

Older people identified the lack of transport and the lack of a drop off point as a significant barrier to using their local library. Libraries will distribute leaflets and posters highlighting the Local Link Service and bus drivers will distribute information leaflets about the libraries to their existing customers to ameliorate this issue throughout the County.

Due to the growing demand for digital skills classes, the Cork County Library Service has been actively pursuing a number of new initiatives. Plans include encouraging people to volunteer with the service providers, Age Action, to introduce and up-skill older people with digital devices. A call for volunteers issued to Cork County Council staff and retirees where it is hoped that a number of digital up skilling classes will be made available in the Autumn.

Age proofing library collections is vital. To this end, Cork County Library Service is raising awareness through a variety of media, outreach activities and the continued provision of talks, lectures, art, craft and literary activities. A variety of activities and events are planned for during Positive Ageing Week in October. Details will be available closer to the time and will be posted on www.CorkCoCo.ie

For further information on the strategy or how to get involved please contact corkcountylibrary@corkcoco.ie or Tel: 021-4546499. Lift to Library details info@locallinkcork.ie or Tel: 027-52727 / 0818 227 226

Cork County Council launches Library Age Friendly Strategy

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Congratulations to PPN Secretariat member Eleanor Calnan on her appointment to the role of Cork ICA Federation President. Eleanor is a long time ICA member. There are 56 guilds and over 1,000 members in Cork Federation. In her new role Eleanor hopes to increase ICA membership and encourage existing members to be more proactive. Congratulations Eleanor and best of luck with your new role in the year ahead.

Congratulations to PPN Secretariat member Eleanor Calnan!

Eleanor Calnan, the newly-elected Cork ICA Federation president (on right), with outgoing president Deirdre Hickey.

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Irish Examiner

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Carrignavar Community Council Outdoor heated swimming pool was built in 1964 by local people and financed by local fundraising. It opens to the public every summer for eight weeks after schools close. It has the distinction of being one of only three outdoor public heated pools in Ireland!

Swimmers of all ages are travelling from all over Cork to use the 24 metre, 80,000 litre pool which takes its water from the Glashaboy river.

Tom Howard, Chair of the Carrignavar Community Council and PPN Secretariat member explained that it was the vision of a few people with foresight who got the pool up and running originally. The continued success of the pool is down to the dedication of local volunteers who give of their time to ensure the pool is maintained to a high standard and puts Carrignavar firmly on the map.

Tom says ‘The pool itself is near the village and our plans for the village include developing a 15 point plan with Cork County Council having been allocated €62,500 for village renewal. Plans include new footpaths and signage. The Community Council also hope to apply for planning for a new hall within the next 2 years which will be funded by local fundraising and County Council assistance.’

Carrignavar Community Swimming pool

Cork County Council is pleased to announce that a Hippo Camp beach wheelchair has been acquired and will be available for use at the Warren Beach, Rosscarbery on a trial basis.

The Warren beach was selected for this trial, following an audit of a number of beaches in the county by Disability Federation of Ireland. Any member of the public may pre-book the wheelchair, free of charge, through Rosscarbery Pitch & Putt Club on 087 6602949, 087 2186529, or at the Pitch & Putt clubhouse.

The wheelchair may be taken out, in one hour slots commencing at 11AM daily, last booking will be at 5PM. Time slots may be reviewed based on demand level for the wheelchair.

Further details will be available on www.corkcoco.ie or on Cork County Council’s Facebook page.

Cork County Council wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Rosscarbery Pitch & Putt Club in the management of this amenity.

Beach Wheelchair at Warren Beach Rosscarbery

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So there you are walking in the shallows. You look great, feel on top of the world and suddenly you feel a sharp sting in the base of your foot! The pain is really bad and you suddenly find yourself worrying what did I just step on?

When patients present to me with a story such as the above I need to rule out a few things. First and foremost I want to get the story straight and ask did the patient see what they stood on or better still did they take a picture of the offending object. Most of the time people have stood on some marine life or some piece of trash washed up on the shore. So what could it be I hear you ask?

Well the top suspects are the weaver fish or the “by the wind sailor”.

The Weaver fish:This little chap spends most of the time buried under the sand with their impressive venomous black dorsal fins showing above the sandy bottom. It grows to a maximum length of 15 cm. Most human interaction happens at low water spring tides. What happens is we venture further out to sea as the tide is well out and we step in to the weaver fish habbitat thus the nasty encounter. When you step on a weever fish the pain is quite severe as the spines become embed into the flesh and discharge their poison. The pain is at its most intense for the first two hours when the foot normally goes red and swells up, and then it may

feel numb until the following day. It should be noted that the irritation and pain may last for up to two weeks. Sometimes, the spine breaks off in the foot and it will cause discomfort until it is removed. While the sting can be very painful it will not cause permanent damage. One concern is that it can cause anaphylactic shock or allergic reaction to those who are vulnerable and people have been known to die from their stings. Rare but worth mentioning.

The by-the-wind (or to give it the scientific name: Velella) is a free-floating hydrozoan that lives on the surface of the open ocean. It measures about 7 cm long. They are usually deep blue in colour, but their most obvious feature is a small stiff sail that catches the wind and propels them over the surface of the sea. Under certain wind conditions (mainly onshore), they may be stranded by the thousand on beaches. When stranded they dry out and so can have a sharp edge on the sail thus penetrating skin.

So what do you do if you meet one of our fishy friends?• Seek assistance from a lifeguard who are all qualified first aiders

• Wash any puncture wounds with water which is over 40° Celsius. This has the added benefit of breaking down any poison (do not use urine, vinger or any other remedy you have heard about)

• Keep an eye on the wound...if it is not settling or you think you have a foreign body in there then pop to your doctor to have it removed/cleaned etc.

One other word of caution I would share is to be careful walking in the shallows. Wear booties or flip flops. There can be sharp objects washed up on the shore that are worse than the two above and a dirty cut at the beach can turn nasty very quickly so be careful where you step.

Stay safe and see you on the beaches.

Water Safety Advice from Dr. Tony Lynch

“I think I stepped on something?”

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A Stolen Ringbuoy A stolen Life - click here to view

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62% of all drownings occur at inland water sites. Water temperature is 18° Celsius and less in many inland sites and is 14° and less at sea. Cold water immersion is the greatest contributing factor to drowning on our island nation.

The majority of drownings occur inland where river and lake beds can be difficult to see and therefore extremely difficult to determine if you are swimming within your depth. The onset of cramp, combined with the panicked realisation that you are out of your depth can have tragic consequences and be compounded further by the muscle cooling effect of longer periods in open water.

Remember1. Swim at Designated Bathing Areas where lifeguards are on duty during the Bathing season which runs from the 1st of June

to the 15th September

2. If there is no Designated Bathing Area near you then swim at known traditional bathing areas where there are ringbuoys erected that you can use if somebody gets in to difficulty

3. Swim within your depth and stay within your depth

4. Use local knowledge to determine local hazards and safest areas to swim

5. Always ensure that the ringbuoy is in its yellow box before entering the water

6. Make sure that the edges are shallow shelving so that you can safely and easily enter and exit the water

7. Don’t swim in Quarries and ESB Reservoirs and tail races

8. Wear a wet suit if you are not used to the cold water

9. Stay Away From The Edge after you consume alcohol as 30% of all drowned victims have consumed alcohol.

If you see someone in difficulty, these simple steps may save a life: 1. Shout to the casualty and encourage them to shore. This may orientate them just enough.

2. Reach out with a long object such a branch or a piece of clothing but do not enter the water yourself.

3. Throw a ringbuoy or any floating object and call 112 for the coast guard.

Advice from Irish Water Safety

• Don’t swim just after eating

• Never swim in the dark, or when you are hot or tired

• Avoid swimming in strange places

• Never swim out to sea after drifting objects

• Don’t stay in the water too long

• Never swim out to sea

• Always swim parallel and close to the shore

• Obey lifeguards and swim between lifeguard flags

• Exercise caution when using inflatable toys

• Pay attention to signs on the beach

• Never encourage others or make them take risks in the water

• Those going sailing or using other water craft must always wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aids.

See: www.iws.ie for more information For more updates and information see Cork Coco Beach Lifeguard Service on facebook CONTACT US!

E: ppn@corkcoco.ieT: 021 4285 340www.corkcountyppn.com

CONTACT US!E: ppn@corkcoco.ie | T: 021 4285 340 | www.corkcountyppn.com