Longford Works encouraging people to work smarter and live better

‘Work smarter, live better.’ That is the motto of the freshly debuted Longford Works branding which several remote working hubs across the county are a part of.

The branding was launched on Monday in Longford Golf Club by Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke TD.
The project was developed by Longford County Council in collaboration with Designedly who helped create the brand that is Longford Works.

Longford Works has hubs in Mullinalaghta, Moydow, Moyne, Edgeworthstown, Ardagh, Abbeyshrule and in Longford Town itself.
These were all developed around Broadband Connection Points (BCPs). Eight in total, each of these digital hubs are located at one of the BCPs within Longford.

“It's about attracting workers who can work remotely, Longford Works will help develop opportunities and allow them to scale up,” said Caroline Nesbitt, the founder of Designedly.
Nesbitt believes that the brand concept will be a key factor in establishing County Longford as a popular re-location option.
According to her, Longford’s success in the remote hub industry is one of the top examples of the working models nationwide.
Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon added, “Longford has been a leading light in making remote working hubs an operational reality in rural Ireland and this coordinated branding will bring that one step further.”

Mr Mahon spoke of the benefits of remote working hubs. "We'd like to think that a lot of people who have long commutes out of the county might possibly find that some of their work life can be spent here, in one of our remote working hubs. And allow people to have a better quality of life and still work and make a valuable contribution to their business."
The plan is to grow from 8 remote hubs to at least one remote working hub within 5km of everyone living from the Midwest to the West.

Speaking to the Longford Leader, Minister Burke said, “We have about 366 connected hubs now in the country, Longford is front and centre to that response.”
Some of the Longford hubs have been nominated for big awards, one being co:worx in Edgeworthstown has been very successful.

“It’s a big asset to the county and it gives a bit more agility to the workforce as well,” added Minister Burke.
Joan Mulvihill, the former CEO of the Irish Internet Association, now the Digitalisation and Sustainability lead for Siemens Ireland spoke at the event and her experience with remote working hubs.
Ms Mulvihill champions technology adoption in Ireland and remote working almost as much as she champions Longford itself.
“Longford is special, because it's where we are from,” she said.

The remote hubs are offering many benefits, such as influencing relocation to the county and fostering a better work life balance but also a chance to grow your ideas according to Ms Mulvihill. “Most people are trying to think outside of the box but if you meet people from a different box you'll get a different perspective.”

Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Mark Casey said, “The Longford Works branding will establish a network of the remote working spaces that are on offer in Longford. The success of many of these hubs has been down to the management committees in the communities who have worked so hard to make them a reality.”