Appeal to parents to set up Community Games in their areas

Parents of children aged 6 to 16 years are being asked to get involved in the Community Games.

Cllr Emily Wallace is particularly encouraging communities in the areas of Mullingar, Delvin, Killucan, Raharney, Rochfortbridge and Milltownpass to register their interest on the Westmeath Community Games page on Facebook.

To register a new, or expand, Community Games area, all you need is a map of proposed area, with the list of townlands and population. You then need to form a committee of just four members choose a minimum of three activities from a total of 215 team and individual disciplines in Community Games.

The information needs to be gathered and compiled by October 3, when an RTD (Recruitment Training and Development) meeting will take place, followed by formal ratification at the Westmeath County AGM on October 24.

“We had so many parents contact us around the time of the county finals to ask how their children could get involved in the Community Games. To set up a Community Games in your area all you need is four people to form the committee to register your area,” said Cllr Wallace.

“Then all you have to do is choose three activities – these can be anything from handwriting to art, football to athletics,” continues Cllr Wallace.

“The beauty of the Community Games is that’s it’s not just about sport, there’s a whole load of disciplines, from Irish dancing to drama, choir singing to swimming.

“There’s a huge pool of talent within our areas and going to Limerick for the Community Games finals is the equivalent of an all-Ireland final for 6 to 16-year-olds,” she says.

Last year there were unfortunately a number of areas in Westmeath unable to put together a committee for Community Games in 2019, leaving their children unable to take part. This is the opportunity to do so for 2020.

“As children grow up, those that were involved in the Games in previous years step down, so the onus now is on the younger generation of parents to get involved,” adds Emily.

She says that anyone who would like their children to participate in Community Games 2020 can message the Westmeath Community Games page on Facebook.