A major, new national campaign has been launched to get as many people exercising and participating in physical activity as possible in our biggest urban cities. The new Sport Ireland Active Cities’ project calls on everyone across Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford to come together to create more opportunities for participation in sport and physical activity through collaboration, partnership, and planning. Sport Ireland officially unveils Active Cities, a project based on the World Health Organisation’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA) Framework, which focuses on increasing physical activity amongst those who are least active in society. Active Cities prioritises physical activity and sport for all and is underpinned by four key pillars - Active Systems, Active Environments, Active Societies, and Active People. To date €3.4m has been invested to engage with communities across the five cities, creating change for those who are economically, socially or educationally disadvantaged or those who have a disability. When it comes to being physically active, only 42% of adults and only 13% of children met the recommended national guidelines as per the 2021 Irish Sports Monitor. With over 33% of the population living across the 5 cities, physical inactivity is negatively impacting the health, economy, environment, and community of our cities. Active Cities is about creating opportunities so that all citizens can lead healthier lifestyles in the context of sport and physical activity. The vision of Active Cities is to engage, increase and maintain the number of citizens regardless of age or ability participating in sport and physical activity in their city. Collaborative and partnership-based by nature, Active Cities is being led locally by the eight (8) LSPs across Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Highlighting the importance of raising awareness Sport Ireland CEO, Dr Una May added: “Sport Ireland are proud to support a wonderful initiative such as Active Cities. Communication and promotion will be central to the success and impact of Active Cities. Research has highlighted the importance of identifying and connecting with trusted local community leaders, willing to promote opportunities within their locality. This initiative will provide a fantastic opportunity for Active Cities to generate a sense of community and togetherness, while bringing sport and physical activity to people’s lives”.

TIER Mobility, has announced that 120 new e-bikes will be deployed by the end of November across its Fingal shared e-bike scheme. TIER has also completed the expansion of its business area to cover the whole of Fingal, letting users pick up an e-bike from Balbriggan to Howth. TIER Mobility is the world’s leading shared micro-mobility provider, with a mission to Change Mobility for Good. By providing people with a range of shared, light electric vehicles, from e-scooters to e-bikes and e-mopeds, powered by a proprietary Energy Network, TIER helps cities reduce their dependence on cars. Founded in 2018 by Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug and Julian Blessin, TIER is headquartered in Berlin and currently operates in 250+ cities across 22 countries in Europe and the Middle East. With a focus on providing the safest, most equitable and most sustainable mobility solution, TIER has been climate neutral since 2020. Since the scheme was launched in June of this year, Fingal residents have cycled over 2,500 hours on TIER e-bikes, and the average trip distance is over 4.5km, a much further distance than the majority of towns and cities that TIER operates in.Peadar Golden, Ireland Country Manager, TIER commented: “The response we have received since launching our shared e-bike service in Fingal has been phenomenal. The journey times and distances we see are both beyond what we expected, and with more bikes in more areas Fingal residents will be able to leave the car at home more often” David Storey, Director of Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel for Fingal County Council welcomed the expansion. “We’re very pleased to be expanding the TIER offering across Fingal to over 300 eBikes. We are also pleased to see that the TIER bikes are working in addition to existing push bike fleets, effectively doubling the number of options available in the county. Fingal residents and visitors have been enjoying this low carbon, convenient and affordable Active Travel option since it arrived earlier this year and we expect to see lots more people give TIER eBikes a try in the coming weeks as their numbers increase.”

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and our local branch will be at Bremore Castle Food and Craft Village on Sunday 4th December and Sunday 11th December. We will have a selection of merchandise, such as Christmas Cards and 2023 Calendars and €5 car raffle tickets for a chance to win a Citroen C4. The draw will take place on 27th January 2023 and some lucky person will start the new year with a brand new car! Look out for Santa’s Grotto in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan, sponsored by Specsavers, which starts on the 17th November.We are pleased to welcome some new arrivals to the Balbriggan Branch just in time for Christmas. On 7th November volunteer Anne Mulligan welcomed a new puppy in training, Cosmo, a red Labrador, aged 3 months who will live with Anne for the next 12/14 months.Local volunteer, Jade McCormack has been matched with her new Guide Dog, Winter. We wish Anne and Cosmo and Jade and Winter the very best of luck and we look forward to sharing their progress. Finally, we want to thank everyone for their continued support every day and throughout the year. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! If you would like to volunteer for our Balbriggan\North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs, you can contact us via phone: 085 7663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

Councillors have approved Fingal County Council’s €989m three-year Capital Programme which provides for significant investment on projects across the County during period from 2023 to 2025. It represents a €205m increase on the previous Capital Plan with the 2023-2025 programme identifying 266 individual projects with an estimated spend of €988,990,218 over the three years The Programme projects a capital spend in 2022 of €269m, followed by €354m in 2023 and a further €366m in 2023. Around 55% of the €989m has been allocated to Housing with the €543m budget underpinning the Council’s commitment to delivering a significant housing programme under the Government’s Housing For All policy. Another 15%, or €146m, has been earmarked for Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development projects. A further €139m, or 14%, is set aside for Planning and Strategic Infrastructure projects The remaining 17% of Capital Programme spending will be on Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel (€68m); Operations and Water Services (€41m), Community and Sports Development (€35m) and Corporate Affairs and Governance (€17m).The Capital Plan is a rolling programme which is revised annually as time and other constraints may vary the progress of projects within a given period. The decision of Councillors to agree the Capital Plan 2023-2025 does not confer approval on any individual project. This can only be done through the normal statutory processes and compliance with the Public Spending Code. Funding arrangements also need to be clearly identified and secured in advance of committing to any project.

Householders in Fingal will see their 2023 Local Property Tax bills reduced by 7.5% following a decision by councillors at last night’s monthly meeting of Fingal County Council. The elected members in Fingal voted by 26 votes to eight to reduce the Local Property Tax by 7.5% up to 31 December 2024.This is the sixth successive year that bills have been reduced by less than the 15% rate. The previous five reductions were for 10% and the extra income raised facilitated increased resources in areas such as housing, operations, community, and libraries. The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Ann Marie Farrelly, said the decision of councillors will benefit both the householders and the communities they live in. This is the sixth year we have been able to give householders a reduction while creating a fund for local services. Having that extra funding has made a tangible difference across the county and I would like to thank our Elected Members for their continued support,” said Ms Farrelly. The effect of new valuations and the increased number of residential properties liable for Local Property Tax will result in an average decrease of around 1.3% on what people were paying in 2022,” she added. The number of properties playing Local Property Tax in Fingal has risen by 10.7% from 98,300 in 2022 to 108,800 and the average amount paid will reduce from €349 to €345.The decision not to apply the full 15% reduction means that Fingal County Council will have an additional €2.26m to spend on local services.

Fingal County Council has welcomed the announcement by Taoiseach Micheál Martin of a €150,000 grant under the Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding Scheme for the Corridor Enterprise Hubs project. The Corridor Enterprise Hubs project is a Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor (DBEC) initiative for which Fingal County Council is the lead authority. DBEC is a partnership of eight local authorities and two universities located on either side of the border. The grant will enable Fingal to commission a feasibility study on developing regional innovation hubs within the DBEC area. Innovation hubs have been identified by the DBEC partnership as having the potential for collaboration between the partners based on existing local strengths and the importance of the establishment of local clusters as highlighted in national and regional plans. The DBEC partners have identified a number of economic clusters with the potential for cross-border collaboration including: -Fintech Cluster- Circular Economy Cluster - Digital Health Cluster - Agri-tech Cluster and Advanced Manufacturing and Renewable Engineering Cluster. Welcoming the funding announcement, the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Howard Mahony, said: “The funding from the Shared Island Scheme will allow Fingal County Council, and our partners within the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor partnership, to undertake this important feasibility study which will examine how we can create cross-border sectoral clusters, using new or existing facilities, to promote enterprise in the region.”Fingal County Council Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said: Following today’s announcement, a multi-disciplinary team drawn from within the DBEC partnership will prepare the Terms of Reference for the feasibility study, with Fingal County Council leading and managing the procurement process with the tender award anticipated in December. The successful tenderer will commence the feasibility study in January 2023 and will be supported by a Steering Committee comprised of relevant officials from within the DBEC partnership to produce a final report in Q22023. The Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor partnership consists of Belfast City Council, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Newry & Mourne District Council, Louth County Council, Meath County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council plus academic partners Dublin City University and Ulster University.

On Monday, 12th September the Mayors of South Dublin and Fingal County Councils, the Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Lord Mayor of Dublin City Council officially launched Dublin Climate Action Week in the Round Tower Visitor Centre, Clondalkin. Dublin Climate Action Week ran until Saturday, 17th September. It offered a range of online and in-person events which aimed to inform citizens, increase awareness and highlighted the need for urgent climate action by all sectors of society. From climate festivals to film screenings, biodiversity walks to webinars and talks on a range of interesting climate topics, there was something for everyone. Events highlighted how both systemic change and individual action is required to tackle the climate crisis. Now in its second year, Dublin Climate Action Week was organised and delivered by the partnership of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency and the Dublin Climate Action Regional Office (CARO).Through the ongoing implementation of Climate Change Action Plans, the Dublin Local Authorities are collaborating closely to deliver climate action, working to reduce our impact and are committed to leading by example in tackling this global issue. Well-coordinated regional and local climate action is critical to meeting our national and international climate targets and goals, and through our engagement with members of the public, local authorities are in a unique position to highlight the need for climate action, to communities across Dublin. The Mayors of the four Dublin Local Authorities jointly stated: ‘‘Climate Change continues to impact the Dublin Region, but we are working together to reach our climate targets. We organised Dublin’s second Climate Action Week to showcase our ongoing progress to the people of Dublin and elsewhere. Building on the success of last year we’ve launched another exciting programme of events across a range of themes.Each of us has a valuable contribution to make, it counts if we are all Taking Action, Together!”

The recent announcement that the long-awaited MetroLink project will become a reality has been welcomed by Fingal County Council, who believe that the rail project will bring an economic boost to the County and help provide much needed transport infrastructure for one of the fastest growing regions in Ireland. The planned Metrolink route will link locations including Swords and Dublin Airport to the city centre, with trains planned to operate every three minutes during peak periods once the line initially opens. Once fully operational it is anticipated that the network could be capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Serving major population centres as well as key business and employment points in Fingal, the multi-billion euro project is set to transform North Dublin and unlock new residential and economic lands for the Dublin Region.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Howard Mahony said: “This is something which has been over 20 years in the making, so it is fantastic news to hear that this is finally going to move forward. “Fingal will be become one of the greatest beneficiaries once it begins service, particularly as the population here is one of the fastest growing in the country and there is huge demand for fast and reliable transport connections for the people who live and work here. What’s more, Metrolink will deliver tremendous gains for the environment and help reduce carbon emissions.” AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal said: “The Council has worked hard over many years to ensure that Fingal is Metrolink ready, so today’s announcement that it is set to progress is welcome news.“Having Metrolink servicing new and existing communities right along the M1 corridor from the city centre through to Swords will support the sustainable development of the Dublin Region unlocking the residential and economic potential of North Dublin.” Given its location, Fingal provides the most daily commuters into Dublin City with 28,641 making the journeys from their homes in Fingal while around 17,000 make the journey in the opposite direction to their place of work.

Last month Tesco Express in Ridgewood, Swords, Co. Dublin graciously donated €167 from the Tesco Community Fund to our Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch and we would like to thank the staff for this and the community for their votes. If you are not familiar, the Tesco Community Fund launched in 2014 and is a platform through which each Tesco store can provide financial donations to good causes within the local community. You can now nominate your favourite or a community group or good cause via the Tesco online application form: https://forms1.thrive-platform.com/tesco/community_fund_application. Since its introduction, Tesco has donated over €6 million to over 21,000 local community projects nationwide. This has made such a positive difference in communities up and down the country and we want to thank everyone who has voted for us in the past and continues to do so. With Halloween just around the corner, darker evenings approaching and no doubt loud fireworks in the lead up to it, here are some tips to keep your dogs/Guide Dogs/Assistance dogs safe and comfortable this October. Eoin Slattery, Technical Training Manager for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind says “Our advice is to keep their dogs away from the front door and windows, play music and background noise to help them to keep calm. Many good pet stores sell products which help to relieve stress and induce calmness.” Some other tips include, keeping your dogs indoors as much as possible after dark, ensure you bring them for a walk during school hours or at meal times to minimise the exposure and tire the dog out so they will be more relaxed and sleep through the evening. Do not scold or fuss over a nervous dog as this can exacerbate the situation and reinforce the behaviour. We wish you all a safe and happy Halloween and remember, no tricks and no treats for your dog as chocolate is not safe for dogs. If you would like to volunteer for your Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch, you can of course contact us on Facebook, by email at GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or by mobile on 085 766 3107.

Wednesday September 14th

‘The Battle for Dublin, 1922’–Liz Gillis.

Wednesday September 28th

‘Sarah Cecilia Harrison, Dublin’s First Female Councillor’–Thomas Burke.
Both lectures will take place at 6 p.m. in the Conference Room of Dublin City Library & Archive, 144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Admission is free and all are welcome.