Online events for children over Easter
Corrib Kids are running creative technology clubs for 8-16 year olds, which teach children how to build, design, code and animate in a fun and engaging way using Scratch, Roblox, Lego robotics and more.
To register for online classes and camps, visit www.corribkidscoding.com.
For a more literary twist, Creative Connections is an online platform providing classes in creative writing, drama and English grinds. Catering for students aged 7-18, they offer group classes, one on one lessons and sibling discounts.
The creative writing classes are six week courses focusing on character creation, structuring a story, plot creation, descriptive language, setting and more. The classes are small in size to allow each student individual attention and an opportunity to get to know their classmates so that they can share ideas and make friends.
The Easter camp will take place from April 5-9, and costs €90, but offers a 10% sibling discount.
For more information, visit www.creativeconnections.ie.
Litter in NI public spaces a ‘growing problem’
The BBC has reported that littering and dog-fouling have increased during the pandemic, which was revealed by an annual survey by an anti-litter charity.
Keep NI Beautiful observed more than 900 areas during the summer of 2020, and said they found twice as much dog-fouling as in 2019. Litter was also on the increase, they found.
Discarded PPE items were found in 30 of the areas they surveyed, with the charity estimating that at any one time, there could be more than 7,000 gloves and masks lying around.
In all, public spaces were generally found to be less clean.
Head of the charity, Dr Ian Humphreys said everyone has a part to play in cleaning up the problem.
“We have a growing litter problem that we need to face up to as a community,” he said.
“The cost to our environment and public purse is too great a burden for us to bear.
The pandemic has seen us care for the vulnerable in society. It is now time we extended that care for our vulnerable environment.”
US data shows AstraZeneca vaccine effective for all adults
The Associated Press (AP) has reported AstraZeneca’s announcement last week that its Covid-19 vaccine provided strong protection among adults of all ages in a long-anticipated US study, a finding that could help rebuild public confidence in the jab around the world and move it a step closer to clearance in the US.
In the study of 30,000 people, the vaccine was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 — including in older adults. There were no severe illnesses or hospitalisations among vaccinated volunteers, compared with five such cases in participants who received dummy shots — a small number, but consistent with findings from Britain and other countries that the vaccine protects against the worst of the disease.