CELT’s Forests for All Education Programme takes place on Saturday April 6th at the Slieve Aughty Center, Kylebrack

CELT are delighted to partner with Walk the Talk Galway and the national Sanctuary in Nature programme, as part of their Community Outreach and Social Inclusion Programme, to host an afternoon of nature based activities at the Slieve Aughty Center, sharing our new ‘Forests For All’ Educational Programme with a number of recently arrived Asylum Seekers to Galway, Ireland, including a number of adults, families, children and young people, of diverse cultures, nationalities and backgrounds.

CELT are delighted to have this opportunity to share with our visitors the Spring Easter Festival taking place at the Slieve Aughty Centre, offering an afternoon tour of the centre and the beauty and diversity of Ireland's native woodlands and cultural heritage. CELT sees this as a wonderful opportunity to introduce some of our new communities in Galway to the local biodiversity in the Sliabh Aughty region, highlighting the multifunctional role and benefits of trees in tackling climate change & biodiversity loss, and to our everyday health and wellbeing,

Our Forests for All programme is particularly aimed at encouraging widespread engagement in nature based environmental education and awareness,  ecoliteracy, nature connection and activity, and introducing people to identifying new and local opportunities for nature connection and appreciation, local tree planting and conservation of existing woodlands.

CELT are grateful to Galway County Council, as part of Galway County Council’s Community Tree Planting initiative and Tree Week 2024, in facilitating a welcoming tree planting ceremony, as we take this opportunity to welcome our new communities to join us and play a role in our community vision for the restoration of the Great Forest of Aughty. Celt also greatly appreciates all the work and support of Walk the Talk Galway in making this event happen and to the Forestry Promotion funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and Galway City Partnership.

Our ‘Forests For All’ environmental and biodiversity education programme highlights the multifunctional role and benefits of trees in tackling climate change & biodiversity loss, and to our everyday health and wellbeing and offers an introduction to our Current Climate context –  current statistics climate change/ biodiversity loss  - weather changes last decades (3 decades) weather and climate, pollution, impacts on local communities, environment, infrastructure, habitats and ecosystems, way of life human health and community wellbeing, Galway’s recently published Local Authority Climate Action Plans (LACAP) – Mitigation & Adaptation Actions – to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency, capture carbon and transition communities to a Low Carbon future, utilising sustainable principles of living within ecosystem boundaries, Rights of Nature, permaculture, and One Planet Living.