Heritage at Play
Competition for LEGO® brick enthusiasts aged 4-12 years themed on the built, natural and cultural heritage of Ireland.
A Heritage Council Project in partnership with Sanctuary in Nature and Heritage, the Community Wetlands Forum and the Irish Peatlands Conservancy Council.
In 2019, the Heritage Council was successful in seeking grant assistance from Creative Ireland to run a pilot programme of workcamps partnering with persons seeking asylum. These pilot workcamps facilitated the involvement and cultural exchange between persons seeking asylum and various ecological conservation volunteers in counties Kildare and Laois. The initial workcamps, held in October 2019, with the first held at Abbeyleix Bog, Co. Laois. The volunteer work was centred on the removal of the invasive alien species, Rhododendron ponticum, from the raised bog habitat.
An engaging element of the workshop programme is when we sit down to eat after the event, as this allows for relaxed chat and friendships to develop around a pot of stew or a simple cup of tea.
From 2020 on, the project has partnered closely with the Sanctuary in Nature and Heritage programme, with many excursions to midland sites to allow clients to experience Irish biodiverse habitats and the species they support, and where possible, to assist with conservation actions to rehabilitate these sites. This is a family-oriented programme that has proven to be very rewarding for both clients and volunteers.
For further information please contact Lorcan Scott (Wildlife Officer): lscott@heritagecouncil.ie or 056-7770777.
Visit the Sanctuary in Nature website
