This article is from page 37 of the 2007-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 37 JPG
BROWNIES from Kilmurry Ibrick- ane parish joined in the effort to keep Clare tidy recently when they picked up litter all over the town of Mullagh.
The group of 22 girls and four par- ents from the local group got the idea from ongoing clean-up efforts by An Taisce and the Green Flag initiative at local schools.
Group Leader Margaret Cunning- ham said that the Brownies hope to
continue their anti-litter efforts on an ongoing basis.
“The kids get a badge for environ- mental awareness and that covers composting and recycling too so we decided to have a rubbish clean-up in the local community. The kids loved it. They have fantastic enthu- siasm and I think that they definitely have more respect themselves after- wards.’
She added that the sight of children aged from six to eleven cleaning up should also encourage the county
council and Fas to keep streets and green areas in good condition.
Learning about the environment is just one of the activities undertaken by the Brownies when they meet eve- ry Monday evening in Mullagh Hall from September to May.
“We cover First Aid, sowing flow- ers and seeds and other general top- ics. We also raised €480 for the National Children’s Hospital with a pancake night recently. We have lots of fun and games.”
The Mullagh branch is enjoying a
revival after a big fall off in attend- ance nearly spelled the end of the Brownies.
“We have 26 girls at the moment so the Brownies has never been this big. It really helps that the kids from dif- ferent schools and areas get to know each other before they go to second- ary school. It would be brilliant if there was a local branch of the Girl Guides so that they could continue on up to 16. They’d love that,” said Ms Cunningham.