Keeping Cork Active
Keeping Cork Active
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Get Cork Walking

Walk21 Lisbon 2024

According to ‘Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors: National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027’, walking is the Number 1 physical activity in Ireland today.

The strategic objectives of this Strategy include: 

Leadership: To create a more coordinated, cohesive approach at national and county level to ensure best use of our resources.

Opportunities: To increase and support the number of people active in the outdoors, especially young people and under-represented groups.

Awareness: To create awareness of our outdoor recreation opportunities and how to enjoy them responsibly.

Expertise: To improve the knowledge, skills and expertise of stakeholders and partners.

Environment: To protect the environment through better planning and development of outdoor recreation, in keeping with best practice management of landscape and habitats.

Access: To protect and improve access to the outdoors, for the benefit of all.

The Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030, suggests that ‘Investing in policies to promote walking, cycling, sport, active recreation and play can contribute directly to achieving many of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ through the creation of:

Active People: Active Systems: Active Societies: Active Environments

Therefore national and international policy dictates that outdoor recreation, physical activity for health and environmental concerns must be approached with a systems approach whereby all sectors of society come together to facilitate these goals. Walking Promotion is a key aspect of societal health promotion, sustainable development and active travel strategies.

 

To this end, we are proud to launch the Get Cork Walking Action Plan 2023-2024 together as a stakeholder network that is invested in the creation of an active and healthy population and planet. The vision of this group is to get more people walking, more often around Cork city and county for the betterment of the individual as well as the health of the planet. However this cannot be achieved by one group alone. Therefore various stakeholders have come together from all systems which work at a local level. These include but are not limited to: local authorities, the health service executive, transport and mobility stakeholders, research institutions, rural and recreational development groups.

The project is being supported at a national level by Sport Ireland. Sport Ireland invested in the formation of Get Ireland Walking which acts as a national governing body for recreational walking in Ireland. Through partnership with South East Technical University, Get Ireland Walking was able to invest in the formation of a Walking Promotion Action Plan at a local level which takes a systems approach as is dictated by international literature. Cork Local Sports Partnership was then instrumental in hosting a Walking Promotion Officer who has been coordinating the project locally.

With the support of such committed stakeholders the future looks bright for walking in Cork city and county. We look forward to working together across all the local systems to make sure that walking and being active in the outdoors is prioritised long into the future as it is such a multi-purpose physical activity, which is uniquely placed to be accessible for all and inclusive of all people and populations.  

For further information, please contact Alison Chambers at achambers@corksports.ie

Get Cork Walking Projects and Initiatives
GAPPA FRAMEWORK: DOWNLOAD HERE
Get Cork Walking Action Plan 2023-2024 Launch
Get Cork Walking Showcase 2023
Get Cork Walking Press Release
Get Cork Walking Action Plan
Get Cork Walking Charter Development
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