Free Bicycle Repair Clinic next Saturday

A free Bicycle Repair Clinic will be held in Kilcullen on Saturday next, 27 November, as part of the upcoming Climate Action Weekend organised by the Kildare Public Participation Network, writes Brian Byrne.

It will be located in the Kilcullen Community Centre where experts from Cycle Clinic Maynooth will check out bicycles brought in by people from the Kilcullen locality, making small repairs and servicing where necessary. Where new parts are required, there will be a charge. The session will run from 10.30am-1pm.

The Workshop is being sponsored by the Kildare PPN, and Cliona Kelliher of the Kilcullen 4 Climate Action group, hopes it will encourage people to take out that old bike that may be languishing in a shed. "One of the key things in Climate Action is to encourage people to get out of their cars and use sustainable forms of transport, which includes cycling where possible," Cliona says. "In addition to actually getting people's bicycles roadworthy again, the event will also raise awareness of the benefits of cycling both to the environment and to health and fitness."

The Climate Action Weekend runs from 26-28 November, and will also feature a range of talks, walks, and a panel discussion on how people can participate in Climate Action. It is the second year of the initiative, and though it was virtually all online last year because of the pandemic, there will be some in-person elements this year, albeit all outside.

A Climate Action Science Talk with Paul Regan of the East & Midlands Climate Action Regional Office will kick off the weekend on Friday 26th at 3pm. That evening there will be an online panel discussion on 'Ireland's Climate Response: Where are We?', starting at 6pm.

On the Saturday there will be a talk on the proposed National Peatlands Park, with Jesmond Harding and Ray Stapleton, over an hour from 12 noon. The online events continue on the Saturday with a talk from 6pm on Sustainability from Elaine Butler of 'Living Lightly in Ireland'.

Earlier that afternoon a Lodge Bog Walk with representatives of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council will be an in-person event, details to be confirmed.

The Sunday's events include an in-person walk around the Naas lakes with the Naas Biodiversity group, starting at 2.30pm. A walking tour of with the Ballymore Eustace Sustainable Energy Community, led by SEC Community Energy mentor Emer Conway, is also planned for the afternoon.

A Facebook Live and Youtube panel discussion on Climate Action & Participation will conclude the weekend's events. "This will include local councillors and community people who will talk about how people can get more involved in the area, and encourage a wider participation." 

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