News Release -
Limerick Welcomes 10 European Winners of EU Water in Historic City Centres Competition
The Mayor of Limerick Cllr. Joe Leddin, Gerry Glynn from Shannon Development and Kieran Reeves from Limerick City Council, gave a Limerick welcome to ten winners of an EU Water in Historic City Centres Competition at the weekend (20th to 22nd April ‘07).
The international Competition was run by Shannon Development and Limerick City Council and five separate prizes of a weekend for two people to Limerick were up for grabs. The winners were from Chester in the UK, Ghent and Mechelen in Belgium, Breda and s-Hertogenbosch in Holland. These five cities are Limerick’s partners in an EU ‘Water in Historic City Centres’ (WIHCC) project, a four year European funded Interreg 111B project. The overall aim of WIHCC is to redevelop old watercourses to enhance historical city centres.
The restoration of the Park Canal is the Limerick WIHCC project, and is a collaborative undertaking administered by Limerick City Council and Shannon Development. As part of ongoing work to develop Limerick’s connection with water, Shannon Development and Limerick City Council are working on restoring the disused Park Canal in the city. Walkers, joggers, cyclists, fishermen and canoeists will be among those to benefit when the restoration of Limerick’s Park Canal is complete later this year.
While Limerick welcomed its EU winners, 5 competition winners from Limerick flew out, with a companion, to the five other participating EU cities (Chester, Mechelen, Ghent, Breda, and s-Hertogenbosch) to enjoy a weekend break in those cities. The Limerick winners who travelled last weekend were: Patricia Melling from Caherdavin Lawn, Limerick who won a weekend break to‘s-Hertogenbosch in Holland; Evelyn Mulcahy from Kilmallock who won a trip to Ghent in Belgium; William Musgrave from Glin won a trip to Mechelen in Belgium; Gabriela Avram from Island Road, Limerick won a trip to Breda in Holland; and Marie Power from Kilmallock won a trip to Chester.
The Park Canal restoration is the jewel in the crown of an overall Limerick Riverside City project, which sets out a vision for a new zone of development in Limerick city and its hinterland, based around the river and canal.
The Competition was undertaken as a way of making residents of the 6 EU cities more aware of each other and the work that is being undertaken to restore waterway in their cities. In all 30 weekend breaks were on offer, five winners for each of the 6 EU participating cities. The Competition prize included transport to the selected city, two night’s B/B accommodation and a tour of the local water project in the WIHCC city.
During their stay in Limerick the Competition winners were also treated to a complimentary guided walking tour of the city, free admission to visitor attractions including the Hunt Museum and King John’s Castle and dinner at Dolans Pub and Restaurant, organised by Shannon Development and Limerick City Council.
All winners (60 people in total) from around Europe travelled on 20th April and return on 22nd April 2007. All of the cities received visits from residents of the other five cities, creating a mini-network to learn more about the other local projects.
Further details on each of the cities restoration projects can be obtained from the WIHCC website www.wihcc.eu
(L-r) The Mayor of Limerick Cllr Joe Leddin (centre), Kieran Reeves Limerick City Council (second from right) and Gerry Glynn, Shannon Development (far right), recently welcomed 10 winner from 5 EU cities to Limerick as part of an EU project to promote water in historic city centres.
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