Limerick students focus on biodiversity in short video competition

LIMERICK Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) has announced the winners of the Biodiversity in our Community short video competition.

The competition's aim is to inspire DEIS primary schools to showcase the creativity and community spirit of students across Limerick’s most disadvantaged areas.

Organised by LEDP in partnership with the Limerick Quimper Tree Festival, the competition invited all DEIS primary schools in Limerick to take part, aiming to raise biodiversity awareness among children and showcase the rich variety of nature within their local communities.

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The winning entries came from Presentation Primary School, Sexton Street and Le Cheile NS, Galvone, who both received €2,000 towards IT equipment for their school.

St Mary’s NS on King’s Island, and Our Lady Queen of Peace NS, Janesboro, were both highly commended receiving €1,000 each, respectively.

“We are immensely proud of all our pupils having successfully won LEDP’s Community Biodiversity Video Competition,” said Ray McNicholas, fourth class teacher at Presentation Primary School.

“The video is a testament to the talent, creativity, and real awareness of biodiversity in our community that our students possess. The prize put forward by LEDP will enable us to enrich the educational experience, preparing our students for a digital future, and supporting teachers in delivering effective and inclusive education.”

The winning videos are now showcased on LEDP’s website, where the wider community are invited to view and share these remarkable works of art, which reflect the vibrant spirit and pride of community life in Limerick.

The video judging criteria focused on creativity, storytelling, technical quality, and adherence to the theme of community biodiversity.

Niall O'Callaghan, chief executive of Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership said, “The winning entries stood out for their originality, storytelling, and technical excellence, and we are excited to celebrate their achievements.

“I would like to thank all the schools for their efforts and congratulate them on capturing the true meaning of biodiversity in the community. It was obvious there was a huge amount of work put into creating these videos and it certainly made our job in judging the results incredibly difficult,” he said.

The United Nations has declared that biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the pressures driving this decline are intensifying.

LEDP, for its part, has stated its intention to plant 27,000 trees in Limerick by 2027, offsetting over 4,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 100 years, whilst also supporting the promotion of biodiversity.

In addition to tree planting, LEDP has implemented various other green initiatives, including the eradication of fossil fuel use, installation of solar PV, and transitioning to energy-saving LED technology, amongst other actions.

Laurence Garric of the Limerick Quimper Tree Festival said, “We're absolutely delighted that local schools embraced the video competition organised by LEDP - the children's engagement with biodiversity.”