RAPID groups to visit counterparts in Belfast to look at community-friendly alternative to traditional Halloween bonfires
Written by Eamon Ó Cuív Thursday, 29 October 2009
The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, announced today that he has arranged for community representatives from RAPID areas in Cavan, Dundalk, Cork and Dublin to meet with their counterparts from community groups in Belfast to discuss piloting a community-friendly alternative to traditional Halloween bonfires on a cross-border basis.
Minister Ó Cuív said he would support the introduction of bonfire 'Beacons' to celebrate Halloween in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner. The bonfire Beacon is a safe alternative to unstable bonfires of tyres, pallets and other environmentally damaging material. The Beacon burns woodchips pellets safely for several hours, causes no environmental damage and has the benefit of significantly reduced clean up costs. Beacons have been used successfully in Belfast as an alternative to the traditional 11th July bonfire.
Commenting on the initiative the Minister said:
"The beacons are an innovative way for local communities to celebrate Halloween in a safe, environmentally responsible manner. Every year we count the cost of Halloween bonfires in terms of the severe impact on the resources of An Garda Síochána and the Fire and Emergency services, as well as the drain on Local Authority budgets for clean-up and repair work as a result of bonfire damage. The beacons offer a sustainable alternative to dangerous bonfires of tyres and pallets and might prove to be a suitable option for RAPID areas in future years. The beacons also offer a means to celebrate Halloween in a community-friendly way where all of the community can come and enjoy the celebrations rather than being in fear of what can accompany haphazard bonfires.
"We know from experience that the skills and resources are available at local community level to implement community-friendly initiatives such as this. I am grateful to the local communities in Belfast who have offered their advice and I look forward to the piloting of beacons on this side of the border."
Note for editors:
A bonfire Beacon is a steel framed, pyramid shaped construction, of 5 mts in height, containing and burning willow woodchips pellets - a renewable resource. Beacons are placed on a bed of sand that protects the surface from damage and collects the ash, which can be re-cycled as a fertiliser. The beacons burn fiercely but safely for several hours. In addition to the safety aspect, Beacons cause no environmental damage and have the benefit of significantly reduced clean up costs.
The RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development) Programme is a focused Government initiative to target the 51 most disadvantaged areas in the country. The Programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within the 51 designated areas through targeting state resources available under the National Development Plan.
