35 energetic and enthusiastic TY Students from Scoil Chríost Rí took up spades and donned their gloves to plant native trees in St Fintan’s Campus on the Dublin Road, Portlaoise.
Laois Volunteer Centre – in collaboration with Portlaoise Tidy Towns, Trees on the Land, and the HSE’s Links Team – organised this important environmental project.
Niall Fitzpatrick, Maintenance Officer, HSE St Fintan’s said: “We are committed to ensuring that the campus grounds are a pleasant green space for staff, visitors and members of the public.
“We were delighted to work with Laois Volunteer Centre, Portlaoise Tidy Towns and Trees on The Land. We are especially grateful to Laois Volunteer Centre for organising the 35 brilliant students from Scoil Chriost Ri.
“They were a great bunch of young women. They really engaged with the project and we were amazed at how many trees they planted.”
Vincent Booth of Portlaoise Tidy Towns said: “We are incredibly grateful to the staff from Laois Volunteer Centre and particularly to the wonderful group of TY student volunteers for their hard work. I can’t believe we got 2,800 trees planted.
“Their commitment and energy made a real difference to this daunting but important task. It’s community efforts like these that strengthen our shared vision for a greener and more sustainable future.
“This was a very successful volunteering event. It was a great example of different organisations coming together and focussing on getting a big job done in a relatively short space of time,” said Caitriona Ryan, Manager of Laois Volunteer Centre.
“It was a pleasure to work with all concerned. We are extremely grateful to Ger Murphy, TY Co-Ordinator whose enthusiasm and support was invaluable.
“Thank you to all involved – TY Students, HSE, Portlaoise Tidy Towns and Trees on the Land.”
Brian Gaynor, Project Co-Ordinator with the charity Trees on the Land, also spoke, saying: “This has been a lovely project to work on and thanks to everyone involved for their hard work seeing these trees planted.
“The trees will provide habitat for wildlife on the campus and greener spaces for people at St Fintan’s to enjoy for many years to come.”
Ger Murphy, TY Co-Ordinator, Scoil Chríost Rí added: “Our TY students had an incredible experience planting trees with Laois Volunteer Centre, actively contributing to a greener future. Their enthusiasm and teamwork made the day both rewarding and fun.
“It was a truly memorable opportunity for our students to give back to the community while enjoying the outdoors.”
For more information about volunteering, contact Caitriona on
info@volunteerlaois.ie.
