Waterford gets €105k in funding under active cities programme

Waterford will receive €105,000 in funding under the Active Cities programme. 

The programme funding will go towards improving physical activity levels across Ireland’s cities, particularly targeting socio-economically disadvantaged areas and marginalised communities, including people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

Waterford TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh said: “Investment in our Local Sports Partnerships is vital. This funding should be seen as much as a Preventative Health fund as well as a sports investment fund. Prevention is better than cure. The investment in Waterford under the Active Cities programme will help improve the health of all our residents – our physical, mental and social health. Many of us are caught up in such a sedentary lifestyle or are excluded from physical activity by nature of a chronic illness or disability."

"We need to build back physical activity into our normal daily lives, and help make it that bit easier for everyone to participate in that," he said.

The funding is being made available from the Dormant Accounts Funding which allows unclaimed funds from accounts in credit institutions in Ireland to be utilised for projects focused on overcoming the barriers and challenges to participation in sport for those who are economically or educationally disadvantaged, or those affected by a disability.

Additional funding was announced for Waterford Local Sports Partnership under the Sports Inclusion Disability Projects supports, which aims to reduce barriers to sports participation for people with a disability through minor infrastructure development, with the announcement of €19,200 funding for the People's Park Playground in Waterford City and the Tramore Inclusion Playground.