You can read the strategy here;

Galway City and County Road Safety Strategy 2026-2030

When: Monday, 14^th September 2026

Time: 10am – 4pm (please arrive from 9:30)

Where: Claregalway Hotel | Claregalway Village | Co. Galway | Ireland | H91 XR8E

Refreshments and lunch provided free to participants.

We are delighted to invite you to sign up for our free training session focusing on Accessible Tourism. This is an excellent opportunity for your group/ organisation to learn how we can make tourism experiences more inclusive and enjoyable for people of all abilities.

Participants who attend the course will:

1. • Grow their understanding of what is meant by inclusive tourism and why it matters, understanding the diversity of visitor requirements and the benefits of making their service more accessible. They will learn about the legislation in this area and understand Universal Design – the design of environments to be accessible to everyone regardless of age, size or disability.
   • Understand the accessible visitor journey from planning and booking, to arriving and moving around the site and participating in events to leaving feedback.
   • Get practical advice and guidance on making the physical environment (buildings and outside spaces) more accessible. Particular consideration will be given to heritage sites and the specific challenges they can pose.
   • Learn ways to create a more inclusive visitor experience including communication tips, inclusive customer service and neuroinclusive features.
   • Explore accessible communication, including signage, online information and confident in-person communication.

The training is very practical in nature, including case studies, videos, practical exercises and presentations and allows plenty of time for discussion. Participants will leave the session with practical tools and information to bring back to their own site/ service to enhance accessibility and inclusion.

Feedback will be requested from all participants to measure how successful the training has been and to help us to improve what we do.

To secure your spot please sign up via the link below, spaces are very limited so we strongly encourage you to sign up early  (please only sign up if you are sure you can make it!)

Accessible Tourism – Registration  – Fill out form

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan TD, has published a draft of this national strategy – An Enabling Framework for Community Safety. The aim of this national strategy is to serve as an enabling, foundational framework for the whole of government, whole of society, approach to community safety as set out both in the Policing Security and Community Safety Act 2024 (the Act) and the Department’s Community Safety Policy.

Further information on this process, including how to make a submission is available here.

The submission process is open until 5pm Friday 11 September 2026.

Queries in relation to the National Strategy for Improving Community Safety should be directed to strategy@communitysafety.ie.

The Outdoor Recreation Strategy will help shape the future of outdoor recreation in County Galway over the next five years, identifying priorities, opportunities for improvement and areas for future investment across the county.

The Galway County Outdoor Recreation Strategy will align with the national strategy, Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, and will guide future investment by Galway County Council and partner organisations. Outdoor recreation, as defined for the strategy, covers activities in natural settings and does not include pitch sports or motorised pursuits.

We encourage you to take part in one of the upcoming workshops and to share this information with your contacts who may be interested in having their say.  Five consultation events will take place this week and will be led by Outscape, the consultancy appointed to prepare the strategy.  Workshops will be held as follows:

Monday 10 August

Oughterard Courthouse at 7pm

Tuesday 11 August

Athenry Community Hall from 2pm to 4pm

Harmony Hall, Brú Bhríde Family Resource Centre, Tuam at 7pm

Wednesday 12 August

Ballinasloe Family and Community Resource Centre, 2pm to 4pm

Temperance Hall in Loughrea at 7pm

Following the in-person public consultation events, an online survey will be available on Galway.ie from Monday 17 August to Monday 31 August. The survey will give people who are unable to attend the consultations an opportunity to share their views and help shape the development of the strategy.

The development of the strategy has been backed by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.

They have selected Galway County Council as one of their 4 case studies nationally. The aim of this case study is to develop a better understanding of:

• the challenges of engaging communities in biodiversity and climate action projects;
• the ways that local authorities are navigating these challenges;
• and opportunities for better enabling community-level support for local authority works.

UCD on behalf of the Climate Change Advisory Council want to speak to volunteers who are involved in biodiversity and/or climate action as part of their community and voluntary work. The online focus group is on Thursday, August 13^th at 12 -1.30pm. The Climate Change Advisory Council, UCD and Galway County Council would value your input to this focus group.

This is an opportunity for Galway County Council to learn from your experiences and insights and to better understand how the Council can support the work that you are doing. The focus group will include other volunteers from community groups around County Galway so it will be an opportunity to learn from other groups opportunities,  challenges and experiences.

To register for this focus group you can use the QR code in the flyer attached or email Lucile to register at Lucile.damien@ucdconnect.ie.

1. 1 Representative for the Loughrea Municipal District
2. 1 Representative for the Oranmore-Athenry Municipal District
3. 1 Representative for the Tuam Municipal District

The Secretariat is is the administrative body of the PPN and is elected by the members of the PPN. It’s role is to:

• Implement decisions made by PPN members at the Plenary.
• Ensure the the PPN functions in between Plenaries
• Coordinate the activities of the PPN
• Communicate regularly with all PPN members and share information concerning PPN activities as widely as possible.
• Act as the point of contact for the PPN in relation to the Local Authority, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and other organisations.

In order for the nomination to be valid, a candidate cannot nominate themselves. Nominees must be a member of the group nominating them and should be able to demonstrate that they are actively part of that group.

A member group may only nominate one person to any vacancy. In the event of more nominations than vacancies available, an election will be held, and a panel formed.
Please see more information in the documents attached.

How to apply: Please return completed form to ppn@galwaycoco.ie

PPN Nomination Form for Secretariat Membership

Nominations will remain open until posts are filled.

If you have any queries, please contact PPN Resource Worker Mary Mullen mmullen@galwaycoco.ie

READ NEWSLETTER HERE

Please share PPN Newsletters with everyone in your PPN Member Group.

READ NEWSLETTER HERE

Find the latest PPN Newsletter -.pdf – here:

july-2026-newsletter-galway-county-ppn

READ NEWSLETTER HERE

Find the latest PPN Newsletter -.pdf – here:

june-2026-newsletter-galway-county-ppn