Entries now open for 2018 PURE Mile
COMMUNITIES across County Wicklow are being encouraged to take part in the 2018 PURE Mile project.
Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments (PURE) are calling on groups, communities, individuals, schools, walking groups, cycling groups, scouts, and members of the general public, to take part in the 2018 PURE Mile Competition and clean up the uplands.
The competition which benefits local areas and the environment encourages communities in Wicklow and south Dublin to adopt a mile of road in their local area and keep it free from litter. Groups can also research information about their local wild flowers, plants, trees, animals, built and social heritage, history, and the folklore associated with their areas. Many communities go the extra mile by cleaning up entrances and farmlands, erecting bird and bat boxes, holding information nights and talks about their local areas. The competition is growing every year and 2017’s groups ranged from the beautiful Valley of Glenmalure to The Hill Road in Cunard, south Dublin, stretching across the mountains of Golden Hill in Kilbride, to the coastal area of Brittas Bay.
‘ The PURE Mile competition has been a great success to date thanks to the communities, groups and individuals who have been involved,’ said Ian Davis, Manager of PURE.
‘ There are so many beautiful areas in Wicklow and south Dublin and each one has something unique and interesting to offer. The people that take part in the competition really make a difference to their areas and it would be great to see more people getting involved in the 2018 PURE Mile competition.’
Groups can focus on all aspects of the competition or just one aspect, such as litter picks, clean-ups of their areas, anti-dumping initiatives, heritage projects and education projects. PURE will supply all groups who enter the competition with bags, litter pickers and gloves and they will also remove all rubbish collected. They are also encouraging primary and secondary school students to enter the competition and do a class project on their local area, maybe a project on a natural or built heritage feature, a social history project, or a clean-up project.
PURE is again encouraging special interest groups, scout groups, cycling groups, running groups and walking groups to adopt a mile of road, a woodland, an upland car park, a mountain, or a trail, in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands and take part in the Clean Up The Uplands initiative. A number of walking and cycling groups have already taken part in this initiative, with one member of the Glenwalk Hillwalking Group stating that the group were amazed at the amount of litter they found on the mountain trails but said if felt great making a difference.
‘When PURE came to our attention, our club wanted to find a way to get involved with this great initiative. It’s our way of showing our appreciation for the beautiful uplands where we love to walk. And it’s our opportunity to give something back – to the farmers, landowners and communities where we walk,’ said one of the 2017 participants.
Any groups, communities, individuals, schools, walking groups, cycling groups, scout troops or businesses interested in getting involved in the PURE Mile competition can contact PURE at info@pureproject.ie or 0404 45547. An application form can be downloaded at www.pureproject.ie/what-wedo/the-pure-mile/ or requested from PURE Project, Wicklow Mountains National Park, Kilafin, Laragh, Bray, Co Wicklow. All groups who enter the competition are invited to the PURE Mile awards night, will receive a certificate of participation and a selection of native Irish trees, and all will feature in the PURE Mile Calendar – and are with a chance of winning over €4,000 worth of prize money.
For further information visit on www.pureproject.ie