parkrun Carlow
parkrun Carlow
parkrun is a free, community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. In Carlow the 5 kilometre course is at the Barrow Track, over the river from Carlow Town Park, and is a mixture of tarmac paths and trail paths which takes place every Saturday morning.
parkrun is positive, welcoming and inclusive, there is no time limit and no one finishes last. Everyone is welcome to come along. parkrun is free and you only need to register once whether walking, jogging, running, volunteering or a combination.
Benefits of parkrun
Studies have shown the benefits of parkrun, but they can easily be summed up:
- It helps your physical fitness
- It gets you outdoors, into the fresh air and helps you reconnect with nature.
- It builds a sense of community and togetherness amongst all those involved.
- It provides a nice routine and some structure, which can be helpful when everything else is hectic and unpredictable.
Park Run on KCLR
As part of National Volunteering Week, Carlow Volunteer Centre arranged for KCLR to visit some of the Volunteer Involving Organisations and speak with volunteers and organisers. Listen to Una Ni Mhaoldhomhnaigh's interviews below, and hear about the experiences of those involved.
How Carlow Volunteers Can Help Out
Volunteers are essential to helping parkrun go smoothly, and they fulfil a number of important roles- they marshal the route to help anyone that needs assistance and keep everyone track, they scan ID barcodes to track who is attending and their finishing times and they hand out finishing tokens upon completion of the run. Many of the volunteers will regularly attend parkrun as participants as well, with a rotation of those available meaning volunteering is only required every four to six weeks.
Helping Bagenalstown In Bloom
Helping Bagenalstown in Bloom
Each year Bagenalstown yarn bombs the trees, gates and fences of the town, creating a vibrant tapestry of colour and creativity. This requires a tremendous amount of knitted and crocheted pieces to cover the many locations around town, and we have had a number of volunteers in over the past few weeks working away to help out.
We recently dropped off our volunteers' wonderful work with the Festival volunteers, so they can start preparations.
Our Knitting and Crocheting mornings are continuing each Thursday morning, with the focus on creating Purple Hearts for Hospice patients and their families, and new volunteers are always welcome.
Pieta and Darkness Into Light
Pieta
Pieta was founded in Dublin in 2006 and was established to provide free, accessible support to people affected by suicide and self-harm. Pieta now has over 20 centres nationwide with over 300 staff and offers a variety of supports to people impacted by suicide and self-harm, completely FREE of charge.
Vision, Mission, Values
Their Purpose
Pieta exist to reduce suicide and self-harm, and to support those who have been impacted by suicide and self-harm
Their Mission
Pieta provide professional counselling, support and education to those experiencing suicidal thoughts, self-harming behaviour and to those impacted by suicide and self-harm.
Their Values
Hope is at the heart of what Pieta do, guiding their values and behaviours, and at their core they believe in the following:
- Respect: Acknowledging the inherent worth in every person and treating everyone with dignity, courtesy, and consideration.
- Compassion: Demonstrating care, kindness, and a willingness to understand others' experiences and perspectives. Adopting a people-centred approach that is free from judgement.
- Transparency: Communicating openly and honestly with integrity and taking responsibility for one's actions and decisions, while being held accountable.
- Collaboration: Working together in partnership, seeing each person as one who is resourced to play their part in achieving positive outcomes.
How Carlow Volunteers Can Help Out
In 2009, in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, 400 people set off on the inaugural Darkness Into Light 5km walk to raise funds for Pieta. From small beginnings, the movement has continued to grow, and now there are over 150,000 participants in Darkness Into Light each year. The participants begin the walk in the darkness of night, and will finish the walk as the dawn sun rises.
Each year the walk provides an opportunity for people to connect with their local community and to bring hope to people who have been impacted by suicide. Dedicated volunteers are essential year on year to make the event a success and to help us all continue to raise awareness and hope in the global fight against suicide and self-harm.
Darkness Into Light 2025 will take place at 4:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025. This inspiring event symbolises hope, as communities come together to support mental health and prevent suicide. Volunteers will need to be available from 3am, and will be placed at various locations along the route to provide directions and help to the participants.
Unum Volunteers and Tidy Towns at St. Mary's Cemetery
Unum Volunteers and Tidy Towns at St. Mary's Cemetery
Volunteers from Unum Carlow partnered with Carlow Tidy Towns to carry out a clean up in St. Mary's Cemetery in Carlow Town. Thank you to all involved in improving an important location in the town.
International Women's Day 2025
International Women's Day 2025
International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on March 8, honuors the achievements of women across all aspects of life - social, economic, cultural, and political - while also advocating for gender equality.
What are the aims of IWD?
IWD can mean different things to various groups, yet the overarching aims of IWD are to:
- Celebrate women’s achievements through recognising and appreciating the contributions of women in various fields, highlighting their influence and successes throughout history and in the present day.
- Raise awareness of gender inequality through shining a light on persistent issues like the gender pay gap, lack of representation in leadership roles, gender-based violence, and unequal access to education and opportunities.
- Mobilise action for equality through encouraging individuals, communities, and organisations to take steps toward creating a more inclusive and equitable world for women.
- Donate and fundraise for women-focused charities, and elevate the visibility of their work.
- Foster solidarity among people of all genders in support of women’s rights and gender parity worldwide.
How the Carlow Volunteer Centre Recognised the Day
Here at the Carlow Volunteer Centre we decided the best way to recognise International Women's Day was to celebrate a great local woman, Sister Mary. She was instrumental in the development of An Gairdin Beo, the wonderful community resource in the heart of Carlow Town. She has been a force for action and improvement in Carlow, helping foster a strong sense of community and volunteering that we all continue to benefit from, and will long into the future.
