PICTURES: New wetland walk in Limerick taps into nature and wellbeing

A 400 metre wetland walk that is good for the physical environment and physical health has opened in County Limerick.

Mayor John Moran had the honour of cutting the ribbon on the new facility in Doon Social Farm, part of Ballyhoura Rural Services. 

The mayor was joined by invited guests, staff and students from the three schools in Doon - CBS Primary School, Convent National School and Scoil na Trionóide Naofa.

The wetland walk was built at a cost of €50,000 from the Climate Action Fund, administered by Limerick City and County Council. The staff of Doon Social Farm and the contractor worked very hard to complete the platforms, paths and fencing to provide a wheelchair accessible amenity.

The walkway is open to the public on Fridays 10am to 4pm and Saturdays 10am to 2pm. These are also the opening hours of the farm café and shop (Eircode V9412T0).

Mayor Moran, who also planted an oak tree, recognised the work of Ballyhoura Rural Services (BRS) in dealing with social isolation. 

John Murray, chairperson of BRS, said that the organisation was set up as a charity which provides a befriending service in east Limerick and north Cork. Two hundred visits  a year are made to people either living on their own, or in need of support. 

Farm manager Marian Clarke thanked the local authority for the funding received through the Climate Action Office to develop a piece of the wetlands on the farm. 

The fund was used as a water cleaning project using native plants such as the bulrush, kingcup and sedge. These plants use the nitrogen pollutants to grow and filter out other contaminants. This action cleans the water passing through the farm. The plants are capable of filtering water to drinking quality, or  swimming quality, which in turn enhances biodiversity.  

This project improves the water quality that eventually ends up in the Mulcair  and Shannon. The ambition of the project is to also recover the snipe and the marsh fritillary butterfly that once used to live or nest on the farm.

Doon Social Farm is an organic farm that produces eggs and vegetables. It provides social farming programmes to schools and to organisations to improve health and wellbeing.

The Happy Saplings school programme is now in its third year and is making a strong health impact on participating young people. It is a farm-to-fork programme where young people do farming jobs, harvest produce, cook it and eat it. 

For further information about Doon Social Farm, produce and social farming programmes, contact 061-380808 and see www.ballyhouraruralservices.ie

For more pictures, click 'Next'