Residents in Moniaive want to extend the daylight in the autumn and winter months in light of the covid pandemic.
They believe it would have a positive effect on mental health, lifestyle and business and are calling on everyone to sign up and join them.
The campaign is being spearheaded by publican Tim O’Sullivan, who believes there is a strong argument for repeating it.
He notes a precedent for such a change, stating that British Double Summer Time was temporarily introduced during World War II to replace daylight savings. During the winter, clocks were kept in advance of GMT to increase productivity.
A similar move also happened in the 1970s.
Tim said: “We were thinking of ways to encourage people to remain outside as long as possible and we came up with the idea of putting the clocks forward to gain more light in the afternoons.
“It would help control the virus by allowing people to remain outside for longer in the afternoons/evenings. It would benefit some sectors of the economy currently struggling to remain viable. Health benefits would increase allowing more time for leisure, sports, socialising outside.”
However, he is aware that such a move may not benefit farmers and bakers, adding: “Some industries would find putting the clocks forward an hour challenging but, the needs and health of the rest of the population would need to be weighed against this.”
The petition has been lodged on the UK Parliament petitions website and 10,000 signatures are needed to force a debate in the House of Commons.
A copy has also been sent to the Prime Minister’s aide, Dominic Cummings, in a bid to garner support.
