Westmeath Comhairle Na nÓg honoured at National Garda Youth Awards

Local teens from Westmeath Comhairle Na nÓg were honoured at the Garda Youth Awards in Portlaoise on Saturday, November 16.

The group of youth volunteers received the Community Safety Award at the ceremony, which aims to celebrate the contribution of young people to their community.

The young volunteer members of Westmeath Comhairle na nÓg organised a road safety event for Transition Year students across Westmeath.

They contacted road safety education groups across the county, convincing them all to take part in the name of educating future drivers, and reached out to every school in the Midlands with an invitation to attend.

The young organisers of the day put together an incredible agenda, balancing the important educational focus of the event with fun recreational activities that reinforced the importance of road safety. A whopping 1,600 transition year students attended on the day, listening to talks from traffic accident survivors, experiencing simulated car crashes and learning how to administer first aid in the event of a collision.

Thanks to the work of Westmeath Comhairle na nÓg, an entire generation of young people across the Midlands have received an education on road safety.