Bridge Nature Trail reopened

“This is my first ribbon-cutting since I became a councillor,” Tracey O’Dwyer told the Diary before she did just that today to officially reopen the Nature Trail at the Bridge Camphill Community, writes Brian Byrne.

An enthusiastic crowd both of members of the Bridge Community and Kilcullen residents turned out for the event, after which they walked through to re-acquaint themselves with the 700-metre trail, closed when the pandemic arrived.

The event was in the presence of Bridge Camphill manager Lynn Doyle and Paul Henry, social enterprise manager with the national Camphill organisation.

“The community members have been waiting for this day for such a long time,” Lynn Doyle told the Diary. “It just means the world to them to be reconnected again with the wider community of Kilcullen.”

There are 16 residents in Bridge Camphill at the moment and 17 people using the day service, all overseen by a staff of 50.  The trail has been refurbished in advance of today, with the help of members of Kilcullen Community Action, students from Cross and Passion College, and a corporate day organised by O’Brien’s Fine Foods. “It was just lovely to see the gates open again,” Lynn added.

For the national Camphill organisation, today’s event was very important, according to Paul Henry. “It’s the second reopening event we have had this autumn — we were able to open a farm in Grangemockler in recent weeks. It’s a dairy project funded by Leader, delayed by Covid but we were able to get it going.”

For the moment there’s a diversion by the duck pond to bypass the boardwalk section, which still remains closed. Some new fencing has also been erected at an open area by the river.

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