Local national school to host family walk for new walking track

An Offaly national school will soon host an important Family Walk fundraiser as it edges closer to its ambition of creating a brand new biodiversity walking track on its premises.

High Street National School in Belmont (also known as St Saran's NS) will host the walk on Sunday, March 22, starting at the school at 2pm, with participants welcome to partake in either a 2km or 4km option. The walk will conclude back at the school with refreshments.

It has already raised just over €7,000 with the school's idonate page looking to hit the €10,000 target. People can still contribute to the cause via the idonate page or at the event on Sunday.

The school, which caters for 73 children from 45 local families, propose to construct a 900m walkway around the perimeter of the existing playing pitch. It will include a wild flower area with native hedging and further development of a memory garden.

The school hopes the walkway will provide an area for the children to exercise while providing a hands-on outdoor learning space, support wildlife habitats, and contribute towards environmental education and learning for years to come.

All proceeds from the walk go towards the biodiversity walking track, which the school says will help to inspire learning, well-being, and care for the natural world. They say that every donation, whether big or small, will help the school reach its goal.