In the process of forming the Learning Venture, local community collaborators reflected on the experience of empty supermarket shelves during the storm known as ‘the Beast from the East’ in 2018. This experience highlighted the vulnerability of food supply in rural Ireland.

The community is acutely aware of their susceptibility to supply chain disruption as extreme weather becomes more and more frequent due to climate change.

Motivated by this experience, the Learning Venture plans to focus activities around a planting project which will invite the wider community to get involved in creating mini food forests in various locations around the town.

We hope that by working together across sectors and age ranges, the Westport Learning Venture will be celebrated for embodying principles of self-reliance, sustainability, and community wellbeing.

This project will focus on food security but also contributes to a more connected, resilient, and environmentally conscious community and delivers on the overarching vision of the community organisations and educational institutions involved – that is, to create a great quality of life for all in the area.

It is hoped that the actions of the Westport Learning Venture will serve as an example for other schools and communities aiming to undertake climate action projects in small towns in Ireland.