Clare County Council urges parents to attend ‘Real Nappy Event’ in Ennis

A series of ‘Real Nappy Days’ will take place in counties Limerick, Kerry and Clare, which holds its event at Dunnes Stores Foyer in Ennis on Wednesday, 9 April from 11am-3.30pm.

A real nappy is one that is washable and is used over and over again. Significant advances in real nappy technology mean modern parents need not return to washing nappies, safety pins and folding.

Research shows that by using real nappies parents can save over EUR1000 on the cost of keeping a baby in disposable nappies and at the same time protect the environment by diverting a huge amount of waste from going to landfill.

According to Joan Tarmey, Environmental Awareness Officer, Clare County Council, "There have been amazing advances in technology even in the past 5 years. Real nappies come with poppers or velcro for quick and easy fitting, are incredibly soft and comfortable, and are available in lots of cute styles, shapes and colours. So, you get many of the benefits of disposable nappies, more money in your pocket and you are helping the environment."

She continued, "Using real nappies helps prevent up to 2.5 tonnes of waste being generated. So that’s good news for the environment. But you can buy your entire real nappy kit for 2.5 years for about EUR300. The same amount of money would only buy twelve to sixteen weeks of disposable nappies. So it makes economic sense too."

The upcoming information event in Ennis will feature a number of real nappy suppliers who will speak about their products and their benefits for parents, babies and the environment. The event will also feature the launch of the new Limerick Clare Kerry Real Nappy Voucher Initiative.

There are ten EUR150 vouchers to be won in each local authority area. To be eligible parents much have a baby 18 months or under and agree to participate in surveys at 3, 6 and 12 months once they start using the real nappies.

According to Cllr Patricia McCarthy, Mayor of Clare, "The real nappy voucher is a new initiative in Clare, Limerick and Kerry. It will make it more affordable for 10 lucky families to try modern real nappies, while at the same time prevent waste. It will be very useful to hear how they get on, and I have no doubt this will encourage others".

Entry forms for the vouchers will be available on 9th April at the Real Nappy Event in Ennis and will be accepted until 17th April, after which 10 lucky winners will be drawn. If you are one of the lucky winners, Clare County Council will purchase a voucher worth €150 for you from a real nappy company of their choice. This initiative will subsidise the cost of real nappies for your child.

A new Real Nappy leaflet is available from Clare County Council complete with a current list of real nappy suppliers. Further information is available on www.clarecoco.ie and from the Environment Section of Clare County Council on 065-6846281.

The Real Nappy Days will be held as follows:
- Clare County council - Wednesday 9th April - Dunnes Stores Foyer, Ennis, Co. Clare
- Kerry County Council - Tuesday 8th April - Manor West Shopping Centre, Tralee, Co Kerry
- Limerick City and County - Thursday 10th April - Parkway Shopping Centre, Parkway Roundabout, Limerick

-ENDS-

Note to Editor:
For further information please contact Joan Tarmey, Environmental Awareness Officer at Clare County Council on 065 6846205, or Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 086-8534900 or media@dunphypr.com

Mark Dunphy
Dunphy Public Relations
www.dunphypr.com
00353-868534900 (mobile)
00353-656839692 (fax)