IPB Pride of Place in association with Co-operation Ireland is an all-island competition that acknowledges the work that communities are doing all over the island of Ireland.
The competition focus is about people coming together to shape, change and improve daily lives in their communities. Since the competition commenced in 2003, it has impacted on hundreds of thousands of people, all of whom are proud of their place. The competition is based on communities demonstrating directly to the judges their pride in their place by oral presentations where they highlight community activities, culture and many other aspects that contribute to their pride of place. It is also important that the community demonstrates a real partnership with their local authority and shows that all sectors of the community are included.
Abbeyleix Bog Project is a Community-Led/Volunteer-Driven initiative dedicated to protecting a 500-acre bog on the edge of Abbeyleix Heritage town. This raised bog, typical of Ireland’s Midlands, developed over thousands of years but faced existential threats after a drainage programme causing death of the peat-forming bog mosses by end of the last century.
Peat harvesting was imminent but the local community intervened with a blockade, and formed the Abbeyleix Bog Project in 2009. What could have been an end marked a new beginning for the bog, with a lease agreement transferring it to the local community for conservation and tourism.
Since then, the Abbeyleix Bog Project has rejuvenated the area, transforming it from an arid site to a vibrant wildlife haven and seeing the active raised bog area grow from 1% in 2009 to nearly 14% by 2020, with further improvements anticipated. The bog, now a rich biodiversity hub, serves as a beacon of hope and a testament to successful conservation.