WALKING SUNDAY

           Punchestown Racecourse &  'Walking Sunday'

What is ‘Walking Sunday’?
Annual custom where hundreds of people from Naas and County Kildare walk the course at Punchestown on the Sunday before the Festival meeting. Originally the ritual involved inspecting the course and the jumps and then predicting the going for the races. It was also a ‘fun’ and ‘healthy’ afternoon for families.

Co. Kildare is growing faster than any other county in the republic with the single exception of Meath. The 2006 census shows that Kildare population has expanded by 21.5% since 2002, with the population of Naas alone rising from 18,312 to 20,003. As a commuter county, young families make up a significant proportion.

In recent years, numbers attending ‘Walking Sunday’ had been flagging to approx 200 people. In 2007, Sherry FitzGerald O’Reilly decided to become involved in a major revival of the event, and to implement a strategic PR campaign to support this revival with the aim of increasing attendance at the event to 1,000 people. We are delighted to report that as a result of our campaign, the event was attended by over 2,5000 people with major coverage in the media at both local and national level.

Our messages below will tie in with your product :
• Family activity
• Fun
• Healthy

The Event 

  • The traditional walking of the course between 2pm and 5pm. (2 mile walk in total but people free to walk as much or as little as they wish)
  • Complimentary water and rain capes available at reception on departure and return
  •  Blood pressure check provided by Fair Green Pharmacy available on return
  • Kiddies Certificates “ I walked in Punchestown on Walking Sunday” issued between 2 30 pm and 5 45pm
  • Printed rosettes “ I walked Punchestown” on offer for dogs
  • Tricky Tricksters –Indoor magic show
  •  Open air concert with ‘After Dark’
  •  Ticket Office open for purchasing race tickets
  •  Carnival on site
  •  Free competition with prizes of family holiday, MBT footwear etc..
  •  Minister for State for the Department of Health and Children – Sean Power to be invited. (Local man)
  •  Charlie Mc Creevy – European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services. Instrumental in giving 100% funding to the centre and also a local whose commitment to Walking Sunday is well recorded (Peerless Punchestown).
  •  Goody bag with healthy items to include popcorn, lip balms, fruit juice, health bars, gym membership vouchers etc.

Punchestown underwent an €8.5 million development in 1998. The Punchestown National Hunt festival attracts 80,000 annually. The National Hunt meeting with the greatest appeal, it has become known abroad as ‘The Irish Cheltenham’.

Publicity for Event:
View–In: quarterly newsletter (25,000 copies delivered through An Post, 1,500 copies from Sherry FitzGerald O’Reilly office plus drops to waiting rooms of doctors surgeries, physiotherapists, chiropractors, vets and dog groomers). Next issue –March 31st.

Print media to be targeted:
Local:  Leinster Leader, Naas Voice, Kildare Post, Kildare Times, Kildare Nationalist, Parish newsletter and Chamber newsletter.
National:  Health correspondents and Health supplement editors will be targeted.
 Racing correspondents to be targeted

Radio:
Local:  KFM
National :  RTE 1 John Kenny

Television:
‘Nationwide’

Signage
8ft x 4ft signs to promote event on two roads entering Naas and at entrance to Punchestown

Posters:
Shops, Primary schools, crèches, waiting rooms vets, Punchestown itself.