Unique Programme To Rejuvenate 9 Clare Towns

An innovative new scheme aimed at rejuvenating the physical appearance of 9 selected towns and villages across County Clare has been announced.

Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), in association with Clare County Council, is encouraging local community groups and individuals to register their interest in the ‘Clare Villages And Towns 2012: Your Place, Your Space’ initiative by attending a seminar in Quin Community Hall on Saturday 12th May from 9.30am to 1pm.

Following the event, local groups will be invited to apply to be one of nine towns selected to receive additional expert guidance and mentoring from Cunnane Stratton Reynolds (CSR) Landscape Architects & Town Planning consultants.

CSR will assist the groups to critically examine their town or village, identify opportunities to improve and enhance their urban and landscape environments, and draw up three-year action plans to do so. 

“The purpose of this unique scheme is to stimulate and encourage County Clare communities to further enhance the physical appearance of their town, while at the same time complement existing initiatives such as Pride of Place, TidyTowns and Clare in Bloom,” explained Gerard Kennedy, Enterprise and Rural Development Manager, CLDC. 

Mr. Kennedy continued: “The programme will assist community groups to improve their local environment through the development of a strategic 3-year plan for their area. A productive working relationship will be fostered between community groups, CSR, CLDC and Clare County Council.”

“The programme will be delivered over a twelve-month period. Through the promotion of and participation in the Tidy Towns initiative, we will be able to assist local groups in nine county towns identify suitable projects to enhance the local environment, as well as their physical and infrastructural development”, he added. Ennis is excluded under the scheme as the town is not eligible for LEADER rural funding,

According to Keith Mitchell, Associate Director, Cunnane Stratton Reynolds: The development of a Tidy Towns Plan may also include projects suitable for funding under the LEADER Rural Development Program 2007-13, including Village Renewal & Development, Conservation & Upgrading of Rural Heritage, and Encouragement of Tourism Activities.

The Clare Village’s Seminar will be addressed by officials from Cunnane Stratton Reynolds, TidyTowns Adjudicator Dr. Christy Boylan and a representative from Failte Ireland. The event takes place in Quin Community Hall on Saturday 12th May from 9.30am to 1pm.

Further information on the Clare Villages And Towns 2012: Your Place, Your Space scheme is available from CSR on (093) 60854 or claretidytowns@csrlandplan.ie.

European Carers Groups Meet In Clare

Caring for Carers Ireland will host a meeting of European Carers groups in Ennis, County Clare, tomorrow and Friday (26-27 April 2012).

The level and quality of care services that are being provided in Ireland and across Europe will be examined at the meeting which will be attended by organisations from France, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia and Spain.  Croatian Commissioner for Health and Social Care Services, Sonja Grozić Živolić also will be attending the event at the Council Chamber in Aras Contae an Chláir.

Caring for Carers Ireland along with partner organisations are participating in an EU-funded training initiative, entitled the Leonardo da Vinci (Transfer of Innovation) Key Skills for Family Carers KEYFORA project.   The two-year programme focuses on education and training for family carers, professional care workers and migrant care workers throughout their life.

According to Brigid Barron, Innovation & Programme Manager, Caring for Carers Ireland: “We attended the first meeting of the KEYFORA project in Bastia, France during December 2011. The second meeting of the European member group, taking place in Ennis this week, will identify and test the methods and tools to identify key skills and competencies. This will contribute to the personal and professional development of the Family carer, care workers and migrant care workers.”

Ms. Barron explained that the lack of key competencies is recognised as one of the main challenges to the overall success in the employment and training of carers throughout Europe. She added that existing resources and learning methods “are inadequate to cater for the needs of the learner”.

Ms. Barron continued: “Currently, the majority of care providers throughout Europe are migrants, while many caregivers or persons working in this area have currently no authority or power.  It is necessary to convince them to master key skills. Under the scheme, carers identify and acquire key skills and competencies in the provision of health and social care services to people in their own homes.

Caring for Carers Ireland is a national non-governmental organisation supporting Family Carers.  Its primary objective is to ensure that policy makers are aware of the key issues which impact on the lives of 161,000 Family Carers and influence their abilities to continue to provide care.

The KEYFORA Project meeting takes place in the Council Chamber, Aras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co Clare, from 8.30 to 6pm tomorrow and Friday (26-27 April).

For further information on the Leonardo da Vinci KEYFORA visit www.caringforcarers.org or contact 065-6866515.

Kilrush Students Take A Walk On The Wild Side

 

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC), in conjunction with Clare County Council, led a study trip around bogland near Kilrush this week, as part of the inaugural Kilrush Biodiversity Week.

Students from Kilrush participated in the educational trip, which is one a number of events taking place as part of Biodiversity Week.

The Week, which concludes on Sunday (29 April), is celebrating the many aspects of Biodiversity in Kilrush and its environs from family days out in beautiful natural amenities to information and discussions about threats to biodiversity. 

Commenting on the field trip to the bog, Shane Casey, Clare Biodiversity Officer, Clare County Council stated: “It’s fantastic to see children, who would normally just drive past the bog in a car, get out into the middle of it and really discover just how much biodiversity is here.  It might look like a barren landscape at times, but this is a haven for some really unique creatures, and seeing the reaction of the students is something special.”

He continued: “Led by Nuala Madigan of IPCC, the students discovered how a bog is like a giant water mattress which shakes beneath them when they jump up and down.  The phenomenon is thanks to the unique plants which are found there, and the intrinsic links with water in the bog’s formation.  Indeed, the students had the opportunity to create their own ‘bog in a bottle’ showing the different stages of a bog formation, from nearly 10,000 years ago right up to the present day.”

Commenting on Kilrush Biodiversity Week, Mr. Casey said: “The take home message for Kilrush Biodiversity Weekend is that Biodiversity is not some incomprehensible scientific discipline, but rather the ordinary plants and animals we see outside our windows and on our doorsteps every day.  The Week also comes at an opportune time with the preparation of the Kilrush Development Plan 2014-2020 underway, which will have a significant focus on amenity, biodiversity and green infrastructure.”    

Mr. Casey explained that a full programme of public events will be held on the weekend of April 28-29.  There will be an early start on Saturday morning with a Dawn Chorus Walk in Vandeleur Woods at 5:30 AM.   A Moth Exhibition and Bug Hunt for children takes place in the Vandeleur Woods from 10:00 AM, followed by a composting demonstration at 1pm and a guided tour of the beautiful Vandeleur Walled Gardens.  At 2:30 PM, Kilrush Secondary School will host a Wildlife Gardening Exhibition, while the day will concluded with a late night bat walk in Vandeleur Woods at 9:30 PM.

On Sunday 29 April, the focus will turn to the Shannon Estuary when a discounted price for Dolphin Watching Boat Trips will be available to members of the public (To avail of the offer contact Geraldine on 065 9051327, quoting Kilrush Biodiversity Week). Meanwhile, Inland Fisheries Ireland will be inviting people to enjoy the marine touch pools at on Cappa Pier at 12:00 PM, and participate in a seashore walk from 4pm to discover the abundance of nature along the estuary from seaweed to waders.