An event with ever-increasing popularity and effectiveness, the 2018 Docklands Volunteer Day saw 200 volunteers from various local business take to the streets to make a real, tangible and positive contribution to the local area. This would not have been possible without our principal sponsor AIB Docklands along with other supporters A&L Goodbody, Accenture, The CCD, The Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane, Dublin City Council, Dublin Port, IPB Insurance, Independent Trustee Co., The Marker Hotel and Waterways Ireland.

Volunteers gathering at The Marker Hotel for tea and coffee

The morning of Friday the 11^th of May, the volunteers gathered at The Marker Hotel in Grand Canal Square who kindly supplied tea and coffee all participants, perking up everyone who was about to do trojan work throughout the day, and were further fuelled by the generous Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane who provided lunch in their Vertigo Bar from 12noon-1pm.

Building on the work done, the 8^th Annual Docklands Volunteer Day focused on an ever-expanding list of area cleaning, painting, weeding, art, planting pollinator-friendly plants as part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and community engagement in line with the DBF’s policy of business engagement with the local community.

Volunteers painting the new mural on the McMahon Bridge

The success of the mural on the McMahon Bridge, which saw 12 months without graffiti for the first time in decades, a new more colourful mural reflecting the maritime heritage was painted onto the bridge by volunteers which will help deter graffiti reappearing.

The completed new mural

 As part of participation in the All Ireland Pollinator Plan, volunteers also planted pollinator-friendly species all over Docklands to encourage our little-winged friends to do their important job. Included in the plating list are the tree pits on North Wall Quay, Chimney Park and the Planters on Grand Canal Square.

Pollinator-friendly plants in the beds in Grand Canal Square

Docklands Business Forum has a community engagement initiative, which put to the fore some of the tasks undertaken during the day. Teaming up with Waterways Ireland, the Grand Canal Basin was relieved of its flotsam, as well as another pairing between volunteers and the Shelbourne Park Residents Association to dig flowerbeds in South Dock Street Park and Playground. Volunteers also painted the playground railing at the East Wall Community Centre and the Bath Avenue Resident Association’s planters on Bath Avenue, as well as pruning overgrown gardens for the elderly and cleaning the garden for the Enable Ireland School in Sandymount.

Brendan Hilliard from principal sponsor AIB and Alan Robinson CEO of Docklands Business Forum in front of the new mural

Following a hard day of hard work, a well-deserving group of volunteers retired to il Valentino for beer, wine and pizza at 5.30pm