Massive sand art pieces in Waterford and Wexford raise awareness around fostering
Foster families create colossal beach art in Tramore (pictured) and Duncannon to inspire fostering within the community. Photo Nichola Browne-Sinnott.
Tusla foster families from across the southeast came together to create two colossal pieces of sand art at Duncannon and Tramore beaches depicting what community and neighbourhood means to them.
Working alongside visual artist Sean Corcoran (aka: The Art Hand), the families created two 400-ft wide pieces of sand art - one at Duncannon Beach, Wexford on Saturday, June 14 and another at Tramore beach in Waterford on Sunday, June 15.
Their details reflected the families responses from a Tusla-organised workshop a few days earlier in which they were asked: What does community mean to me? and What does my dream neighbourhood look like?
A smiley sun, angels, dogs, a gingerbread man, rainbow, bouncy flowers, families and people linking hands were among the images etched with rakes in the sand over three hours. The finished pieces were each the size of four football pitches.
The undertaking coincides with National Fostering Awareness Month, an essential campaign throughout June by Tusla, the statutory agency for foster care.
The campaign raises awareness about the ongoing need for foster carers in communities across Ireland and how rewarding it is to foster a child. Ireland is among the world leaders in foster care, and across Ireland 3,817 foster carers currently open their homes to 5,021 children.
According to Tusla, having foster carers in communities across the country is crucial because it's crucial that when a child is fostered they he or she stays within their community and that they remain in the same school, circle of friends and continue with after-school activities.
“As part of National Fostering Awareness Month, we are asking people from diverse backgrounds, in communities across Ireland, to consider providing all types of foster care," said Jacqueline Smyth, Tusla Fostering National Lead.
"It could be respite care on weekends, a short-term emergency placement, or a longer-term placement for children and young people who cannot, for various reasons, live with their birth families," she added.
Ms Smyth went on to say: “Tusla foster carers come from all walks of life. This includes those in same-sex relationships, the Traveling Community, non-Irish nationalities, people from different faiths and beliefs, people who have a disability, jobseekers, renters, single people, people who are over 50 years old, couples who work fulltime, and rural as well as urban dwellers.”
As the sun set on Duncannon and Tramore’s shores, the colossal sand art was eventually washed away by the tides, but foster families hope it will inspire others to consider fostering a child.
National Fostering Awareness Month will run throughout June with a host of events and activities around the country including in-person and online information sessions which are listed on www.fostering.ie.
