With so many sporting activities currently on hold, Cork City Council has developed a Keep Well – Move! campaign, designed to keep Cork moving. Building on the government’s Keep Well, Keep Active programme, and supported by the ETB, Move! provides people with options to stay active despite current restrictions.

Launching the campaign with a visit to St Brendan’s Girls Primary School grounds for an outdoor Zumba session, Lord Mayor Cllr Joe Kavanagh said:

While weather may be a barrier to staying active this winter, our message is that it’s okay to go outside! We are surrounded by beautiful walkways and parks in the city and they are accessible throughout the winter months, perhaps with the help of a warm and waterproof coat!

Adrienne Rodgers, Director of Services, Cork City Council, explained that:

The focus of this programme is on safe, outdoor activities, but it’s also meant to be fun for the participants. We want to appeal to a wide range of likes and abilities, so we’ll be bringing Zumba, yoga, fitness, orienteering, soccer and cycling to schools and youth groups throughout the city.

During the summer months, the City Council ran a hugely successful series called Sports on the Green starting with soccer, in collaboration with the FAI, and now expanding those sessions to include Zumba on the Green. Zumba is an easy-to-follow, dance-inspired fitness routine that’s accompanied by Latin American music to get people moving to the groove.

Move! will also see the City Council partnering with Munster Rugby and the Cork Community Gardaí to deliver a Rugby on the Green programme in local housing estates.

For more information on Keep Well – Move! please contact Cork City Council’s Sports and Community Facilities Development Officer at [email protected].

Notes:

In response to COVID-19, during the Summer with so many camps, programmes and activities cancelled, Cork City Council teamed up with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and Cork Sports Partnership to develop Soccer on the Green.

Aimed at young people and held on greens in housing estates across the city, coaches helped a socially diverse group of young people develop their soccer skills, while having fun. With help from the Residents’ Associations, sessions were held in Togher, Donnybrook, Ballyvolane, Bishopstown, Glanmire and Ballincollig. Sessions were also held in conjunction with Foróige in Mahon and Curraheen, with Tusla in Fitzgerald’s Park, and with a local youth group in Churchfield.

Following on from the success of the soccer sessions, the programme was expanded to include Cycling on the Green and one pilot session of Rugby on the Green. The current programme, Keep Well – Move! further adapts that model to include a wider range of activities.

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