Greenway is up and running, or cycling or walking!

On Saturday 25^th March, to be exact, the much anticipated Waterford Greenway officially opened. Encompassing Waterford City, in the East, to Dungarvan Town, in the West, along the full 46 kilometre route.

The use of this old, decommissioned railway line has been in planning for many, many a year and a number of sections have been accessible for some time now. Saturday marks the opening of the “Full Monty”. A 46km coastal/inland route, which will simply blow your socks off. Sharing some stunning vistas of sea, mountains, hills and glens.

Some parts of this coastline have for far too long been hidden gems, known only to a select few locals, quietly spoken about in the corners of bars and coffee shops. Now we can ALL shout from the rafters, that at long last, we are to have an alternative tourist attraction, which really does rival those dotted around the various corners of this wee green island.

In particular, the Waterford Greenway will rival the explosion of this type of development. Examples of these, can also be found in places that link Athlone and Mullingar, Westport and Achill Island, Abbeyfeale and Rathkeale. There are also plans to open a Greenway in Connemara, between Cloonbeg and Athry, later this year.

These large infrastructural projects are being designed to bring new life to otherwise unused, huge tracks of land. The restructuring of old railway lines and tracks is a good idea and one that should be welcomed by all. We need to find and source new tourism markets for Waterford, if we are to drive the County and wider South East, out of the third tier of recovery we find ourselves in. The recent Sunday Times Rich List report shows Waterford County has the lowest level of wealth, when compared to the other 32 counties on this island. This is something that we must quickly address and correct, if we are to ever regain our status as the fourth city of Ireland.

Waterford’s Greenway, must now be sold to the people of Waterford and further afield, to a National and International market. What cannot happen is that we open this wonderful attractor and sit back under the age old adage of “We have built this and now they will come!”. Not insignificant sums of public, Council, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland money must be spent on PR, marketing and promotion of our Greenway. There will be plenty of competition fighting for these additional resources and we must make sure that we get our fair share.

There will also be an onus on the Council, to make sure that the eastern end of the Greenway actually connects to the heart of Waterford City. We created a wonderful Viking Triangle and the connectors to the City Centre have been an awfully long time in the making! This cannot be allowed to happen with this project.

At present, the western end connectors are ALL in place, with access right into the very heart of Dungarvan. The eastern access points seem to be taking rather longer to be put in place and we have the very real prospect of yet another east/west split. Our “Full Monty” has to be delivered and delivered in a timely fashion.

Hopefully, from Saturday 25^th March, tens of thousands of people will be coming to Waterford, with the sole purpose of travelling our Greenway. We must at the very least, ensure that they leave having been absolutely stunned by what they have seen. We want these people to return in their hordes, bringing more and more family and friends. Repeat customers are the very best customers and we need to encourage this culture.

 

I do hope that we, the local citizens, look after this important piece of new infrastructure for our future guests. We cannot allow the Greenway to become a cycle race track, a scrambler track, a pony-trekking route, or a convenient place to let your dog poop or a place to dump rubbish.....!

Waterford’s Greenway is another jewel in our crown, so let us keep it shining bright. 

Yippee, the summer is here!

Yes, yes, yes!!!! It was officially the start of the meteorological summer on Wednesday 1^st June and some say that we have much to look forward to over the next weeks and months.

The recent run of Mediterranean weather has set us all off on a “happy footing”, unless of course you are about to sit Junior and Leaving cert exams! It always amazes me that the weather, since records began, is at its glorious best just as we imprison our kids in stifling exam halls and subject them to two or three hours of trying to unpick the complex grey matter that resides between their ears. Good luck to all concerned!

The City and its wider environs have seen some positive stories recently. For example the berthing of the huge cruise ship, Celebrity Silhouette, just off Dunmore East and the thousands of day-trippers who visited the City Centre, giving a much needed boost to many a thirsty, dehydrated shop till. Of course the continued location filming of Redwater in this village, will undoubtedly add to the “Sunny South East” mantra and I am sure all involved in this production will be relishing the summer weather that currently betters most of continental Europe.

With many a festival also on the horizon for the City and wider afield there should be plenty to get our teeth sunk into and lots to do for residents and visitors alike.

“City In Bloom” will shortly burst into life and draping the Waterford in a magical multi-coloured coat of wondrous joy that will stay with us right up to September. Spraoi will be back before we know it and then there is Day Tripper, admittedly in a new venue, not the traditional City Centre location, but still promoting a line-up, that has once again something for everyone, whether you are young or an auld one! The much vaunted Summerval has much to live up to if it is to validate all the promised hype and we hope that the festival can deliver on its €138,000 funded budget. Actually adding significantly to the City Centre footfall? We will keep a close eye on this one.

If festivals are not your thing, then you only have to travel a few miles out of the City Centre to find the type of scenery that would whet the appetite of Allsopp and Spencer. “Now here’s a view!”, we could all confidently boast to this pair of presenters.

Our region has the best of both sea and mountain views. Depending on which way you drive our coast road, you get two completely differing panoramas and two vistas that would grace the cover of any Lonely Planet guide or a Michael Palin travel book. We really are spoiled for choice.

Sea swimming is of course a must and we have kilometre upon kilometre of hushed, unspoiled beaches just waiting to be discovered.

These, mostly free attractions, should and could be the envy of many another county. But sadly, once again, we seem to be possibly sinking to the bottom of the league when attracting these much vaunted International Visitors who seem to be spending many a Euro outside of the South East.

This has always puzzled me and bewildered many more besides. When so many citizens of Waterford, are aware of just what we have to offer, why oh why is this message not being spread, by those promoters of Irish tourism? 

Are we now finding ourselves, a regional tourist area, that has literally fallen between the two stools that are the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East? Are we the furthest away point from both of these behemoths and therefore seen as “just off the beaten track!”

Are we happy to be once again feeding off the odd crumb indignantly tossed to us by the powers that be?

If we are to compete with the other more established tourism brands then we must differentiate our product.

“People Make Waterford” so let’s make that happen!

A road less travelled.

Biscuit Club cycle humour!

I have now been cycling around the South East region for a little under two years and during that time I have covered many thousands of kilometres across Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Tipperary and I have even, dare I say, visited the neighbours in Kilkenny on many an occasion – without the need for a passport may I add.

Who said we are two warring counties fighting over a proposed boundary extension in and around the Ferrybank area? As all seems fine when I peddle my bike through what some would picture is “bandit territory”. If you are to believe some of the rhetoric coming from certain public representatives then you might just need a flak jacket the next time you venture across the bridge!

Anyway, last weekend I took part in another fundraising event. This time for Mount Sion CBS which was an event I participated in last year and hopefully this will now become an annual fundraiser for the school. Make no bones about it? The people you regularly see at weekends, squeezed into all manner of coloured Lyrca, give a considerable amount of their time and money to many of the charity/fundraising cycles around this wonderful South East corner of Ireland.

Already this year we, The Biscuit Club members, have helped raise money for The Cycle for Sarah, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, Solas South East Cancer Centre “Dance for Life”, Waterford Hospice, Kilmacow Wheelers Charity Cycle to name but a few and the calendar for the summer looks equally busy.

There can be no doubt and speaking as a MAMIL only (so as not to upset the fairer sex), that when you get to certain age we either buy; a Harley, a stupid convertible car that makes you look like a numpty, a set of ridiculously expensive golf bats or a carbon racer bicycle with all the bells and whistle in terms of wheels, groupsets, low rolling resistance tyres, GPS computer gizmos and the latest trend a power meter! There is even an App that allows us to record our rides, compare times and keep an eye out on just how many kilometres you are covering every week.

In addition, if you were any way competitive in a previous sporting life, and some say I still am, then your weekend cycles, sportifs and charity events can become very spirited. The fact that you can now be as nerdy as you wish with all the statistics available makes cycling even more competitive.

There is of course a commercial side to cycling and if we are to be honest then there is a whole market out there for road, mountain and leisure cyclists that the South East region is missing out on. As the closest point to the UK, by boat and ferry, there really is a vast untapped market, of potential affluent customers to the South East and yet they do not come.

The opening of the Greenway will of course help us draw this lucrative market, but it will only do so if we are prepared to tell people about what we have to offer. To date our international promotion of the City, County and the greater region have been sadly lacking and I do wonder if we are to forever remain, in terms of international tourists, the Quiet County and forgotten region! Or perhaps it suits others that we remain the Cinderella in terms of our tourism opportunities.

Ideal Greenway companion bike!

Yes, we do have sooooo much to offer and I see this every weekend whilst out on the Penny Farthing. But what I do not see are lots of foreign tourists out enjoying the same fresh air, the stunning scenery, the beautiful beaches, challenging roads and the great hospitality.

My bike has taken me many places and given me the time to clear my mind to allow my creative juices to flow and I just wonder if those promoting this great region actually take the time TO do the same.

Tourism – the biggest industry in the World!

Tell me what you really think.

Those readers who know me will know that over the last twelve months I have literally come out of the closest in my Lycra and can officially be described as a MAMIL (middle aged man in Lycra). It is a hobby that has taken me all over the south east and further afield, around this island of green. In fact since I had to hung up my golf bats (due to old rugby injuries), cycling is a sport I have taken to my heart over the last 15 months and I am now just a few of kilometres short of cycling 10,000km. I, like most of today’s cyclists have an App, as there is an App for everything, and this App also show that I have climbed nearly 62,000m in those 15 months - hard to comprehend just how high that is.

Who needs the Tour de France when we have so much available to us on our doorstep here in Waterford.

The unseasonably good weather has allowed me to continue to cycle in my Lycra shorts over the last couple of weekends and last Saturday and Sunday was no different. So mild was the weather that I even managed to see a few butterflies out and about, and I also managed to be hit by several bumble bees, and being smacked on the face by a bumble bee at 30 plus kph stings like hell!

It has amazed me that as we head into the depths of winter our wonderful countryside and coastline are still accessible whether you are on a bike, in a car or simply just walking. Being able to see the vast array of autumnal colours that coat our countryside at this time of the year I can see why this is the favourite time for so many people. There were simply oodles of people out and about over the weekend and car parks that access our stunning coves and beeches, whilst not heaving, were very busy with families taking the opportunity to enjoy the extremely mild weather and get one or two last autumnal walks in, with the dog, before the winter weather finally decides to arrive.

The more I cycle around Waterford and the south east, the more I come to appreciated exactly what we have on our doorstep and I do often wonder if we are really utilising this natural beauty for the benefit of ourselves and as a potential tourism income generator.

We all know that Ireland’s Ancient East has been designed as a tourism driver in an attempt to balance the tens of millions being spent on dragging millions of tourist “out west” to the Wild Atlantic Way. Yet we read recently that funding for this project across Waterford and the south east has not been forthcoming and we must ask why? I would also hazard a guess that many readers will not be aware that the Ireland’s Ancient East project is now over two years old and we are yet to see any real economic benefits from this new branding.

 

In my 10,000km of cycling around the south east I have yet to see one sign proclaiming that you are in Ireland’s Ancient East and I am yet to see any real signs of branding that will encourage our tourists to spend their Euro in Waterford and this region. I fear that we are yet again being dreadfully acceptant that what has been delivered to date is satisfactory and adequate to compete with other tourism offerings.

We have accessible scenery that rivals the very best in Ireland and we have a tourism offering that certainly competes with some of the more established brands in Ireland and yet we seem to be, once again, the poorer cousin when it comes to funding and shouting about just what we have to offer.

More must be done for Waterford and the south east as after all tourism is the biggest industry in the World!

Fail to Prepare & You Prepare to Fail

In business it is essential that there are structures to any organisation and from within those structures it is crucial that the business prepares strategies and plans. These strategies and plans will take into account areas such as the market sector the business operates in, peaks and troughs in relation to sales trends, staffing levels in relation to busy and quiet periods, marketing planning, staff training, budgeting, and cash flow analysis and so on.

There really is a huge amount of preparation needed in order for a business not only to function properly but to ultimately survive. The stark reality is that without a sufficient amount of time set aside preparing a business for what lies ahead then that business is more than likely staring down the barrel of a gun.

I myself do a significant amount of my own business planning when cycling my road bike. I recently joined “The Biscuit Club” who has an appropriately club motto “Everything Stops for Tea!”

Since joining the Club in August I have literally cycled thousands of kilometres around our wonderful County and dare I say further afield into Kilkenny and Wexford. I have been inspired by some of the most jaw dropping scenery that would quite rightly find pride of place on the Channel 4 programme Location, Location, Location – I hope you are reading this Kirstie and Phil. We are simply surrounded by some of the most stunning backdrops in Ireland – FACT. And it is not as though I have not explored these routes by car, as I have, it is just that when you are moving much slower you have the time to take it all in and believe me there is an awful lot to take in.

This easy access to coast, mountain and valley give me the time to plan in my head and in many respects take back what has inspired me whilst out cycling and build those experiences into my forward planning. And in early November I prepared an article whilst I sat on the strand, in Tramore, chatting to the Mayor Lola O’Sullivan, bathed in sunshine, surrounded by people in t-shirts, having returned at warp speed from Kilkenny that was bathed in nothing but cold damp misty fog!

As a side, I do know that we need to more to do promote what is on our doorstep and we must push the semi state bodies such as Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to bring more and more tourists into Waterford and the South East, as we really do have so much to offer. And each and every one of us who live, work and play in Waterford have must also start espousing and championing what we have to offer. The simple fact is that NOT enough of us from Waterford champion the City and County to the extent you see in other Cities and Counties. And if we don’t start shouting soon we will very quickly become the Nations bad news story.

The need to prepare is paramount to driving an organisation forward and it is essential that the constituent parts i.e. staff/personnel of an organisation contribute. You may not be aware that the new City and County Council are currently preparing a very comprehensive Corporate Plan that will cover the next five years of the Council’s operations. The discussion around this plan started a number of Council meetings ago and at the November full Council meeting the draft and updated plan was considered by our 32 Councillors and the Council Executive.

At previous meetings Councillors were asked for their own input and at the November meeting it was revealed that of the 32 Councillors OLNY 3 had supplied and put forward written submissions, and it was inferred that there may have been a number of additional “verbal” submissions. During the meeting, and perhaps due mostly to the media presence, there were a number of Councillors wishing to add to this document by giving additional suggestions and contributions, but as the Mayor pointed out the time had passed and there had been ample opportunity to contribute. Full credit to those few Councillors who took time to give an input, but to have such low level of effort from everyone else is to say at the very least disappointing, but more crucially it does show a complete disregard for the need to prepare.

A business organisation would not have the time to fail to prepare as they are operating in a commercial world that plainly does not stand still. It is constantly moving and evolving at an accelerated pace and if everyone from within an organisation is not prepared to take the time to invest in that business then said business will fail. We do need to see a businesslike approach to Council with our Councillors preparing for meetings and more importantly preparing their contribution to documents such as the Corporate Plan well in advance of scheduled meeting dates. This will in turn free up Council time for much wider and important issues such as job creation, job retention, promoting the City etc etc.

I often see many businesses and organisations not investing enough time and energy in the pursuit of accurate preparation and planning. If you lose sight of where you want your business to go how can you properly prepare for what is coming.

You often hear many people saying that “practice makes perfect”. This of course is complete and utter rubbish as the right phrase should be “correct practice makes perfect”. If your practice simply consists of repeating the wrong processes over and over again you will never get it right. The right thing to do is identify where you are going wrong, correct those mistakes and practice doing the right things at the right time. This way you will continually improve your performance and more importantly you will bring your colleagues along with you as they will strive to better themselves as they see your performance levels increase.

It is therefore essential that business leaders, business owners and organisation engage with their greatest assets, their staff, and get them involved with the planning process. Time must be invested with personnel to ensure that preparation becomes part of the day to day workings of a business or organisation.

If the “Boss” is not prepared to invest his or her time and energy into strategic planning then he or she has quite simply failed to prepare and therefore they need to prepare to fail.

ENDS

Michael Garland, founder of bizBoost.