All About Cork: Pre-school places and Parkrun in Ballincollig

Pieta's annual Darkness into Light (DiL) walk in Ballincollig will take place at 4.25am on Saturday, May 11, starting from Ballincollig Community School. 

Darkness into Light raises funds for Pieta, which promotes awareness around suicide and self-harm prevention.

Preparations for Ballincollig’s eighth Annual DiL Walk began many months ago under the guidance of Catriona Casey of Coláiste Choilm. Students and teachers from three secondary schools, Ballincollig Community School, Coláiste Choilm, and Le Chéile Secondary School unite annually, alongside community volunteers, to organise this community event.

Last year Pieta received 100,000 phone calls and provided 52,000 hours of therapy to 7,000 people across the country.

Annmarie Whelan, deputy principal of Ballincollig Community School (BCS), praised the work of Pieta.

“The importance of this event cannot be understated both in of raising much needed funds to ensure services of Pieta are available for those who need it and to change the culture and stigma associated with mental health,” she said.

Principal Karen Forde added that, there is strength and solace in our schools and community uniting in solidarity with those affected by self-harm and suicide.

BCS student and DiL volunteer, Emma O’Neill, said local businesses had been very generous with donations.

“The DiL committee has been fantastic and put in so much work. We just hope it all runs smoothly on the day and the community will arrive to show their for Pieta and the exceptional work they do promoting mental health,” she said.

Brion McCarthy, BCS teacher and DiL committee member, said it was important to encourage as many people as possible to sign up online.

“The community spirit can been seen already from locals volunteering as stewards, local clubs and organisations who the event, input from all our local primary schools with artwork and displays of hope on the night, as well as students, staff and parents from our three local secondary schools, working collectively to ensure Ballincollig’s DiL 2024 is a huge success,” he said.

Field of Dreams cycle

It's that time of year for cyclists, with the Down Syndrome Cork Field of Dreams Cycle taking place on Sunday, June 9. 

There are three distances available to those who take part in the cycle this year, 21km, which has an entry fee of €21; 50km, which has an entry fee of €35 and 100km, which has a fee of €45.

Registration for the cycle is available through Eventbrite.ie, and the event starts and ends at the Cork Down Syndrome Field of Dreams on the Clash Road in Curraheen.

Participants will be invited to in a pitstop in Ballinspittle and afterwards for refreshments at the Field of Dreams.

Down Syndrome Cork has asked that their ers share news of the cycle with all of their friends and cycling clubs.

Golf classic for guide dogs

The National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) is holding a golf classic at The Heritage Golf Resort on Friday, June 21, with proceeds going to Carrigrohane-based national charity Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The classic will be played on the Seve Ballesteros Golf Course at The Heritage Golf Resort in Killenard, Co Laois. 

The competition will follow the shotgun start format, beginning at noon, with registration from 10am.

Anyone who might be interested in sponsoring a team or a prize, or, indeed, g up for the classic themselves, is asked to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind on the charity’s social-media pages.

NISO is a charity that works to help organisations reduce the number of fatalities and injuries in Irish workplaces each year. It promotes, through various activities, the positive role that organisations can play when they adopt a proactive approach to health and safety.

Parkrun seeks volunteers

After a series of cancellations in recent weeks, Ballincollig Parkrun took place a fortnight ago in beautiful sunshine, with 249 people completing the five kilometre course, including 22 first-timers. 

Organisers are seeking volunteers and say volunteering at parkrun offers a great opportunity to get outside, make new friends, have fun, learn new skills and be a valuable part of the local community on a weekly basis. 

If you would like to get involved in Ballincollig Parkrun, you are asked to email [email protected] with your name and number and to mention the role in which you would like to participate.

Pilates classes commence

Pilates classes will begin in the Ballincollig Family Resource Centre on Friday, May 24 and every Friday thereafter. 

This will be a beginners course, and pre-booking is essential. For further information, and to book places on the course, please Ciara on 087 9258003.

Historical Society lecture

The Blarney and District Historical Society will present an illustrated lecture at 8pm on Thursday, May 2 in Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál (Blarney Secondary School). The lecture will be entitled ‘If those Walls Could Talk — Internment and Executions Cork 1920-23’.

The speaker will be historian and author Gerard O’Rourke, and everybody is welcome. 

There will be a €4 entry fee for non-. For further information, see www.blarneyhistory.ie
 Pre-school places in Ovens

The Bun An Cnoic Pre-School in Grange Cross, Ovens, is now opened for an afternoon session, which will begin in September. The pre-school is offering free ECCE pre-school places, with times available 12 noon to 3pm, five days a week.

The pre-school is catering for infants aged from 2.8 months to six years, and children must be 2.8 months before September 1 of the year they start.

Classes are now enrolling, so for further details, call Caroline 0861754519, or email [email protected].

Toy Library opens Friday

The Toy Library is open at midday this Friday, May 3, in the Carraig Centre, as it is on the first Friday of every month. All are welcome.

The Toy Library offers a wide range of toys for loan, with items ranging from puzzles, board games and educational toys to action figures, farm animals, dinosaurs, puppets, ride-on toys and baby toys.

Toys are loaned out to for one month at a time, but if you would like to extend that period, they can be kept for up to three months.

The Toy Library charges a one-off €2 ing fee per family, with that fee going mainly toward helping with storage and cleaning costs. 

For further details see www.carraigcentre.ie or email [email protected]. 

The Carraig Centre is located on the Old Fort Road in Ballincollig, P31PV20.

To share your Ballincollig nails, [email protected].