Underpinning the Government’s National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, launched in November 2022, Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, The Participation Nation agus Amuigh Faoin Speir Funding Scheme supports the delivery of more opportunities for the public to be more active in the outdoor environment.

The aim of the Participation Nation Fund was to:

• - provide low-cost sport capital and equipment grants for the purchase and installation of permanent sport equipment that can be placed on land, which is in public ownership, for example, outdoor concrete table tennis tables on council-owned or publicly owned land.
• - promote nature connectedness with a specific focus on supporting the biodiversity of the surrounding environments, or as close as possible, on such land.

Under the fund, Kilkenny Recreation and Sports Partnership in collaboration with Kilkenny County Council was successfully awarded funding for the following

• - Installation of Boules Court and biodiversity planting in Slieverue Linear Park
• - Outdoor Exercise Zones, biodiversity planting and habitat creation at Kilkenny Countryside Park.

The boules court in Slieverue is now installed with works on all remaining elements to be completed in the coming months.