Outside it was wet and windy, but inside it was a hive of activity as some of the 100-plus people taking part in Bantry Operation Transformation made their moves at Monday night’s meeting.
BY JACKIE KEOGH
OUTSIDE it was wet and windy, but inside it was a hive of activity as some of the 100-plus people taking part in Bantry Operation Transformation made their moves at Monday night’s meeting.
The movers in the ballroom at the Westlodge Hotel were under the supervision of Erin Kelly Ashworth of the Bantry Holistic Centre. Erin led a free yoga session, which caused one person to observe that ‘everyone was an inch taller by the time they’d finished.’
BOT team member, Jerry Boyle, gave a talk about weight bearing exercises and also offered some advice on how people can improve their gut health.
A lot of people turned up on Monday night specifically to hear how a series of exercises – with no equipment required – could be done at home, even if one could be best described as ‘a couch potato.’
Next week, from 5.30pm until 6.45pm, Dr Gitte Wieneke will be giving a talk about how to make better, healthier food and lifestyle choices, and instructors from the West Cork Kickboxing Club will be leading the BOT participants in what they call ‘a warm up routine.’ It is an open session and there’s no charge, so feel free to come along and get involved. One of the highlights of last week’s busy BOT walking schedule was the event organised by Tim, the ferryman, who led a walk around Whiddy Island on Sunday.
Tim is a passionate and knowledgeable guide and his account of this small, lovely and historic island kept people interested, entertained and exercised. Tim leads a regular BOT Whiddy Island Walk on Saturdays. It starts at the island’s Bank House Bar at 11.15am.
Anyone interested in taking part will need to catch the 11am ferry from Bantry.
With more and more people getting involved in walks, BOT team members, Dr Gitte Wieneke Gitte and Patricia Bevan of West Cork Development Partnership, are working on developing 15 new walks for Bantry Operation Transformation.
Patricia told The Southern Star: ‘We live in one of the most beautiful and accessible places in all of Ireland, and these walks are designed to allow people see a lot more of it.’
An information leaflet outlining the new walks will be available soon from the reception desk at West Cork Development Partnership at Warner’s Yard in Bantry town centre, the Marino Medical Centre, and on the Active Bantry Facebook page.
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