Over €132,000 allocated to more than 50 Longford projects via Community Enhancement Programme

The new year is off to a very good start for local community groups as Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring TD has confirmed that 57 community initiatives around the county have been allocated a total of €132,385 under the Community Enhancement Programme.

The Community Enhancement Programme provides capital grants to community groups to help them to enhance facilities in disadvantaged communities. It supports a range of activities in all areas of communities, such as childcare groups, playgrounds, recreational groups, sports grounds, landscaping, and supporting the elderly.

Having announced an open application process for the €4.5 million programme in 2019, Minister Ring is now in a position to confirm the details of the projects which have been allocated funding.

Some examples of the 57 projects supported include:

• Attic House Teen Project, Longford town (€4,500) for the development and upgrade of the community facility
• Ballinamuck Enhancement (€4,000) for public realm streetscaping
• Bridgeways Family Resource Centre, Ballymahon (€5,000) for the purchase of IT equipment
• EDI Centre, Longford town for the development and upgrade of community facility and equipment
• Foróige Futures Project, Longford (€4635) for the youth club
• Grattan Óg GAA Club, Kenagh (€4,500) for the development and upgrade of the community facility
• Longford Acorn Project, Longford town (€5,000) for the development and upgrade of the community facility
• Longford Athletic Club, Ardagh (a whopping €10,000) for the development of the community facility
• Longford Vintage Club, Longford town (€6,000) for the purchase of equipment
• Templemichael Parish Resources Ltd., Longford town (€4,000) for the development and upgrade of the community facility

The full list of projects supported is available here.

Altogether, more than 2,000 projects across the country have benefited under the Community Enhancement Programme, with a total of €4,524,124 being allocated by Minister Ring last week.

“Having allocated over €4.5 million under the Community Enhancement Programme in 2019, I am delighted to confirm that more than 2,000 projects are set to benefit from it. A relatively small amount of money can go a long way and this investment will greatly benefit local community projects throughout the country,” said Minister Ring. 

Last week's announcement followed an open application process which was administered by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in each Local Authority area. It is intended to run the programme again in 2020.

“Typical enhancements under the Programme include the renovation of community centres and community amenities, improvements to town parks and common areas and spaces and the purchase of equipment which is used to benefit the community. The programme has also supported energy efficient upgrades, developing community gardens, provision of defibrillators, CCTV, and sports and IT equipment,” Minister Ring concluded.

Read also: Longford receives €132,385 in funding to 'enhance communities'