Families create colossal beach art in Waterford and Wexford to inspire fostering
Today at 07:36
Tusla foster families from across the southeast came together over the weekend to create two colossal pieces of sand art at Duncannon and Tramore beaches depicting what community and neighbourhood means to them.
Working alongside visual artist Sean Corcoran, the families created two 400-foot wide pieces of sand art, one at Duncannon Beach, Wexford on Saturday, and another at Tramore beach in Waterford on Sunday.
Their details reflected the families' responses from a Tusla-organised workshop earlier this week in which they were asked: what does community mean to me, and what does my dream neighbourhood look like?
A smiley sun, angels, dogs, a gingerbread man, rainbow, bouncy flowers, families and people linking hands were among the images etched with rakes in the sand over three hours. The finished pieces were each the size of four football pitches and a site to behold for visitors to the area.
The undertaking coincides with National Fostering Awareness Month, an essential campaign throughout June by Tusla, the statutory agency for, and experts in, foster care. The campaign raises awareness about the ongoing need for foster carers in communities across Ireland and how rewarding it is to foster a child.
Ireland is among the world leaders in foster care, and across Ireland 3,817 foster carers currently open their homes to 5,021 children.
According to Tusla, having foster carers in communities across the country is crucial as, when a child is fostered, it is important that the child stays within his or her community and can remain in the same school, circle of friends and continue with after-school activities.
'As part of National Fostering Awareness Month, we are asking people from diverse backgrounds, in communities across Ireland, to consider providing all types of foster care. It could be respite care on weekends, a short-term emergency placement, or a longer-term placement for children and young people who cannot, for various reasons, live with their birth families,' said Jacqueline Smyth, Tusla Fostering National Lead.
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'Tusla foster carers come from all walks of life. This includes those in same-sex relationships, the Traveling Community, non-Irish nationalities, people from different faiths and beliefs, people who have a disability, jobseekers, renters, single people, people who are over 50 years old, couples who work fulltime, and rural as well as urban dwellers,' added Ms Smyth.
As the sun set on Duncannon and Tramore's shores, the colossal sand art was eventually washed away by the tides, but foster families hope it will inspire others to consider fostering a child.
National Fostering Awareness Month will run throughout June with a host of events and activities around the country, including in-person and online information sessions.
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