Going the extra mile for your community is something Frank‘Dusty’ Flanagan and a team of volunteers do on a daily basis for Drogheda and
the Boyne Valley.
Dusty set up the Boyne Valley Trails Festival with BIDs and Failte Ireland to showcase all the outdoor activities in this region and it has proven to be a glowing success story, with thousands of tourists flocking to the region as a result.
It added to the launch of the BV Walking Festival back in2011 with good friend, Terry Collins, and then the Boyne Valley Camino in 2018, with Terry, Aine Walsh, Caoimhe Mulroy, David Gough and Pat Coffey, with a 'Steps of Drogheda’ guide also part of the mix.
It’s all about getting people out and about and enjoying the many natural facets of life in this area.
The walking events have raised over €200,000 for various causes and sparked links with the UK and A Coruna in Spain. Hundreds of years ago, people left Drogheda by boat and walked the Camino in Spain and that tradition has been re-ignited in the last decade.
It has taken true dedication to build a unique tourist offering and to get so many people on board.
For his incredible vision, hard work and community ethos,Dusty Flanagan is the latest BD/Drogheda and District Chamber ‘Community Champion’.
“With BD, we felt that Dusty’s impact, and that of the many people by his side, deserved to be recognised and we were delighted to honour him. The Boyne Valley has much to offer and walking trails form a huge part of that,” chamber CEO, Hubert Murphy, stated.