Adare community unites in Walk 4 Wellness to raise funds for development of Manor Fields recreational amenity

Walk 4 Wellness – Pictured at the launch are Poppy Giltinane and Caoimhe Costelloe, Adare Camogie and Barry O’Halloran, Volunteer Board Member, The Manor Fields

Cross-community initiative Walk 4 Wellness to create a wellbeing culture and raise funds towards the development of the 25-acre community-owned amenity

The launch of a new initiative that will see the community of Adare and the surrounding area gather at The Manor Fields to Walk 4 Wellness in a bid to create a wellbeing culture and raise funds towards the development of the 25-acre community-owned recreational amenity.

Adare’s community and voluntary groups, sporting organisations, churches, business owners and residents have been asked to collectively commit to a challenge from today until Saturday 11^th February, with local schools and their pupils asked to commit to walk 15 minutes per day per person, 13 laps of the Manor Fields walking track per week, per person, or their own personal target.

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And, to mark their participation in the Walk 4 Wellness, all children taking part will be presented with a special certificate on completion of the challenge by Adare and Limerick camogie superstar Caoimhe Costello and Limerick captain and Adare hurling hero Declan Hannon.

Those taking part are encouraged to use the challenge not just as a way of increasing daily physical activity, but also to help to raise funds to support the development of the amenity through sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues. 

The Manor Fields is located on land donated to the community in 2007 by the Kane family, former owners of Adare Manor.  Over the course of three phases costing some €3.1 million, the 25-acre greenfield site has been transformed into an all-age, all-ability recreational facility comprising an access road and car park; an award-winning all-ability playground, a full-size floodlit Astro pitch (FIFA, GAA, IRB certified) and walking paths; state-of-the-art Pavilion which is home to a number of indoor meeting and activity spaces, a suite of changing rooms and remote working hub; and most recently, an active generation physiotherapy trail which is the first of its kind in Ireland. 

Volunteer chairman of The Manor Fields, James Collins said that Adare is one of the few places in Ireland to have such an incredible facility owned by the community for the benefit of the community. 

“The Manor Fields is such a good-news story.  It is a place and space that has been created on the back of the generosity of those who have donated land, time, money and professional services to get us to where we are today,” he said.

“We are already welcoming more than 80,000 people per year, with schools and clubs travelling from as far away as Kerry and Clare to use our facilities.  But what we are most proud of is the number of people from the locality – of all ages and abilities – using the facilities on a daily basis.  The Manor Fields is a community amenity open to all to enjoy – residents, visitors and those just passing through on their way to Kerry or Dublin.

“This is only the beginning of our story.  We have great plans for the future, all of which require the ongoing support of the community to achieve.  These include the development of floodlit tennis facilities, a multi-sport ball wall, additional grass playing spaces and recreational walking paths, a six lane bowling pitch, additional car parking and landscaping.”

In addition to the Walk 4 Wellness challenge, a calendar of events is also being rolled out over the next few weeks featuring guest speakers and specialists who will talk about a range of wellness-related topics.  An Athlete Development Programme is also being held which will see up to 150 primary school children of all athletic abilities take part each week for five weeks. 

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