Duncan Stewart to put emphasis on all things climate in Athlone this week

Environmental activist, broadcaster and presenter of RTE’s ‘Eco Eye’ Duncan Stewart, will travel to Athlone this week for the inaugural Arcadia Creative Climate Awards which had to be postponed last year due to Covid.

Director of Arcadia Retail Park Fiachra McLoughlin has spoken of his delight that the much-anticipated event is finally going ahead tomorrow, Thursday, March 24, and said it will place the focus very firmly on “all things climate” throughout the day in Athlone.

“We are delighted that this event is going ahead, and one of the things we want to focus very much on is what is Athlone’s vision going forward as we all try to tackle the climate crisis that is facing each one of us,” says Fiachra, “and we are hoping to tease this question out a bit more throughout the day.”

With a strong emphasis on young people, one of the keynote events of the day will be the Junior Mayor reception, which takes place in Athlone Civic Centre at 12.30pm tomorrow. Junior Mayors from all the schools in the Athlone region will be received by Cllr Frankie Keena, Cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, and Duncan Stewart will host an Idea Generation Session for the young people addressing the topical issue of climate breakdown.

Prior to the Junior Mayor Reception, the RTE climate activist and presenter will meet with a representative group of students from a number of schools in Athlone for a cycle along the new Athlone Greenway.

The energetic young students are asked to meet on the Greenway at the gates near the Gaelscoil (behind Athlone Community College) for 11.30am where Duncan Stewart will be waiting to lead them on a short cycle of the Greenway.

As part of a packed schedule of events in Athlone for the Arcadia Creative Climate Awards, Stewart will spend an hour in the Arcadia Retail Park, between 3.30pm and 4.30pm for a Future Planning Session, which will ask participants to imagine a commercially successful and environmentally sustainable future vision.

The Arcadia Future Plan event will be presented by Mark McDowell, Principal Landscape Architect with Hoctor Smyth.

Later tomorrow evening, Duncan Stewart will head to Dead Centre Brewing where he will host a special session addressing climate breakdown for the younger generations at 7pm.

This event is open to educators, teachers and other influencers and Fiachra McLoughlin says, due to the size of the venue, capacity is “strictly limited” and pre-booking is essential. Anyone wishing to book this event is asked to contact: kgleeson@aglam.ie to secure their place.

“This will be a very informative and thought-provoking session,” says Fiachra, “and it will be particularly interesting for younger people.”

The Director of Arcadia Retail Park says it is “a huge opportunity for Athlone” to have the vast knowledge and expertise of Duncan Stewart for a full day, so he is urging everyone to get involved in the discussion on climate change and to support tomorrow’s events in the Arcadia Retail Park and in the other areas around town that the RTE broadcaster will be visiting.