Report from Neil O’Brien – Clare Rural Development Forum
Clare County Council has being selected to pilot a scheme to attract urban dwellers and families to some of our rural Communities. The schemes aims are for these people to live, work and educate there families in co Clare. communities should identify possible properties in there respective towns and villages for inclusion in this pilot scheme, which could have huge benefits to there local services , schools and sports clubs etc.
Local Enterprise Office – Padraig McElee
Commercial businesses can contact their local office for a range of different supports measures for there businesses. New or existing businesses are welcome to apply for support with marketing, Capital costs, Innovation. Also provides for website development grants. This should be circulated to people within our communities, start up or existing. Small businesses are constantly struggling and in need of support and expertise and this would be great assistance to them.
Find Your Local Enterprise Office
Clare Age Friendly – Karen Fennessy
In light of current declining services in rural communities, Clare Age friendly is promoting ideas of communities working in co operative shops and provide services within these communities. Local hall or community centers would be possible venues with greenways installed as starting point, cafe or florists opened and engage with local farmers to sell there produce, maybe even post offices recently closed could be located within the building, a clinic to meet your local garda a day a week. With many classes or creches within these buildings already this could be idea to provide much needed service back for the community and get greater engagement of all the community. Transport will be issue but Clare Bus has the vehicles and with additional help from the communities maybe more links connecting villages could be worked on.
Western Development Commission – Clodagh Barry
Is group that collects and stores data and has funding for counties in the North West of Ireland which included is Co Clare, this is essential for community groups for access to this data for funding projects in which funding is being seeked. Communities needs to know what for etc, is population of area , age profiles for services.