New Leisure Centre To Deliver 18 Jobs

The €1.4m redevelopment of a swimming and leisure facility in Shannon, County Clare, will result in the creation of 18 new jobs.

The Chairperson and Directors of Shannon Swimming & Leisure Centre Co. Ltd. today announced that work has commenced on the redevelopment of the facility, which will include a 25 metre swimming pool, gymnasium, skateboard park, climbing wall, two sports halls, dance studio, floodlit outdoor tennis courts, café, steam and sauna, treatment rooms, and wet and dry dressing rooms. All the facilities will be accessible for persons with a disability.

Management say 12 full-time and 6 part-time positions will be created when the facility opens on Saturday July 3rd.

According to Centre manager Karl Fogarty: “The closure of the facility in January 2009 left a void for people in Shannon and the wider community in terms of locally accessible leisure facilities. Shannon is County Clare’s second largest town and the new swimming and leisure facility, once completed, will serve a regional population of more than 200,000 people. The creation of 18 jobs will further complement the economic benefits associated with this redeveloped centre for the Shannon area”

Councillor Patricia McCarthy, Secretary of Shannon Swimming & Leisure Centre Co. Ltd. noted that the new facility will serve as a wonderful addition to County Clare’s recreational infrastructure. She continued: “The Shannon Swimming and Leisure Centre will cater for the recreational needs of all members of the local community and also will host summer camps, school tours and gymnastic clubs from the wider Mid West Region. Once opened, the centre will further enhance Shannon town’s status as a great place to live, work and visit”.

“The Leisure Centre works in partnership with Clare County Council and Shannon Town Council, managing both the Tir Na nOg play area and Bring Centre on their behalf”, added Councillor McCarthy.

The estimated cost of the renovation and restoration works, as well as the delivery of new outdoor facilities, will be €1,236,673. The replacement of the Air Handing Unit, Retiling of The Pool and Surround, Fitting out of Kitchen and Lounge Area will cost an additional €135,213.

The project has been financed by a combination of savings, fund raising and corporate donations (€468,000), a Credit Union Loan to be repaid by The Leisure Centre over 10 years (€400,000), Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism Grant (€350,000 - €290,000 yet to be drawn down), Shannon Town Council grant towards the provision of a Skateboard Park (€50,000 – to be drawn down), Social Amenities Fund Grant from the Department of The Environment, Heritage and Local Government (€30,000 – to be drawn down), and a Clare Local Development Company grant towards tiling, air handling unit and kitchen development works (€75,000 – €11,000 yet to be drawn down). Meanwhile, Clare County Council makes an annual grant contribution towards the ongoing costs of the facility (€78,000 for 2009 and 2010).

For more information see www.shannonleisurecentre.ie.

Cyclists Gear Up For The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia

500 people from throughout Ireland and the UK have so far registered for The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, an international cycling event taking place in County Clare on August 22nd.

IMG, in partnership with Sky, Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, Clare County Council, last month announced details of the country’s first closed road cycle event.

The event organisers expect to attract 2000 entrants from throughout Ireland and abroad this year, bringing significant economic benefit into the local economy, with numbers increasing considerably over the next five years. The mass participation event, which is being marketed internationally and nationally, is open to all standards of cyclists, aged 18-80. The cycle will start and finish in Ennis and travel through County Clare, taking in part of West Clare’s spectacular coastline.

Meanwhile, IMG has announced that it has engaged the services of Sports Academy International to market the cycling event as well as secure some well known celebrities as event ambassadors. IMG, along with its partner agencies, is also planning to run a competition for County Clare’s 124 primary schools. Competition details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Jo Dytch of IMG said: “The popularity and growth in road cycling is very exciting and is clearly reflected in the interest generated by The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia to date.”

“Along with our partners we are looking to lead the way in providing a prestige event for cycling in Ireland and to establish a major fixture on the Irish sporting calendar delivering a significant boost to the local economy. This event will bring a welcome boost to the tourism in Clare annually and will see the most scenic parts of the County and its coastline exposed to the world’s cycling enthusiasts and media”, she explained.

Sky, the UK and Ireland’s leading entertainment company behind the Sky Ride series of events, is the title sponsor of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. The sponsorship supports Sky’s aim to encourage one million more people of all ages and abilities to get cycling by 2013. Sky Ride consists of a range of initiatives to get people back on their bikes, with activities like mass city cycling events on traffic-free streets through to local group rides.

As well as Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, IMG have extensive experience organising mass participation events including the internationally renowned events the Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia, Tour de Suisse, Melbourne Marathon, The London Triathlon, Triathlon de Alpe d’Huez and UK Challenge

Details of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia are available from www.etapehibernia.com or info@etapehibernia.com.

IMAGE by Arthur Ellis, Press 22

National Spring Clean Campaign Gets Underway In Co Limerick

Hundreds of community groups from across County Limerick are expected to participate in the 2010 Spring Clean Campaign, details of which were announced today.

Limerick County Council, in conjunction with An Taisce, is once again asking groups to register their planned clean up as part of the 12th annual National Spring Clean Campaign. The local authority says organised clean ups will be held throughout the month of April and that the participation local community groups in Ireland’s leading anti-litter initiative is paramount to its success. It added that National Spring Clean is an ideal opportunity for communities to take responsibility for their local environment and to take action against litter.

Over 150 organisations from across County Limerick participated in the 2009 campaign. Sports clubs, TidyTowns organisations, businesses, schools, community development groups and Residents Associations from every corner of the County came together to undertake clean up their local areas.

According to Mary Killeen Fitzgerald of Limerick County Council’s Environment section: “Most participants see National Spring Clean campaign as a positive and fun way of coming together with their neighbours to ensure their road, estate, park, parish, village or community is cleaner. Participation in National Spring Clean is open to all, including individuals and community groups such as residents’ associations or Tidy Towns committees, development associations, sporting organisations, youth groups, schools and businesses.”

Meanwhile, the Environment Section of Limerick County Council has issued a reminder to householders not to use community clean ups as a means of disposing of household domestic and garden waste. Ms. Killeen Fitzgerald explained: “We wish to remind groups that the Spring Clean campaign is for community litter clean ups only and it is up to each householder to be responsible for their own domestic items and green waste from their own property.”

She added, “Limerick County Council will not be able to pick up such waste as grass, green waste, builders rubble and bulky household items that are left for collection after a community clean up. It is up to householders to avail of their local waste disposal facility or recycling centre for any domestic items. We would also ask that you use the colour coded bags that you received from An Taisce and recycle as much as possible as part of your clean up”.

To register a clean up with An Taisce and to receive a free clean–up kit visit www.nationalspringclean.org, call: (01) 400 2219 or email: nsc@antaisce.org. If additional equipment or bagged waste collection is required, please contact Limerick County Council’s Environment Section at 061-496264.