Funding of €56 thousand announced for Rural Development in Arklow & District
Well done to the Arklow REDZ group (ARG) for achieving funding of €56,000 for rural economic development in Arklow as part of the REDZ (Rural Economic Development Zone). This is great news and will help bring a new economic focus to support the local communities around Arklow.
The project aims to create jobs and develop economic and social renewal initiatives for Arklow Town and district. The application will support regeneration in Arklow – following the M11 Arklow/Rathnew upgrade works, and Arklow’s inclusion in the Regional Aid Map. “It’s great to work with such committed people – thanks to all who helped to get this application through – email chamber@arklow.ie if you want to get involved” said Arklow & District Chamber President, Ann McGovern.
Arklow Town will be the hub of the REDZ zone and will built a new relationship between Arklow town and its hinterland, including Aughrim, Rathdrum and Avoca. The project will be implemented by Arklow REDZ Group (ARG) and a key action will be the employment of a Development Manager who will be employed by Arklow Chamber of Commerce to deliver on the proposed action plan.
It is hoped that if this pilot scheme is a success, a call for proposals for a more extensive REDZ initiative under the LEADER elements of the RDP. Further briefings are taking place on the 6th October at 8pm in the Grand Hotel, Wicklow and in Germaines in Baltinglass on 8th October at 8pm.
This REDZ funding comes after the recent announcement of the €30 million Village and Town Renewal Scheme, which will run over 6 years and help to support towns and villages across the country.
WW1 Memorial Park
The WW1 Memorial Park at Woodenbridge has been nominated for an Irish Landscaping Institute Award. This is decided by public vote and this is the only place in Wicklow nominated so we are asking you to support it. To vote simply open the link below and click on the “green thumb” under the picture of the park, you can learn more about the design by clicking on the picture. Voting is open until October 14th 2015 and the winner will be announced at the ILI Landscape Awards Prize-giving ceremony on October 15th at the Irish Architectural Archive.
http://www.irishlandscapeinstitute.com/awards/
The Woodenbridge World War 1 Memorial Park is located on the southern bank of the Aughrim river at Woodenbridge, directly across from Woodenbridge Hotel. The memorial park was constructed by the Woodenbridge Village Development Association with the support of County Wicklow World War 1 Memorial Committee. It was opened on the 18th September 2014.
The memorial was constructed along the river bank in a tranquil setting. It consists of fifteen vertical granite slabs designed in three circles.
1,192 names of people who were natives of Wicklow or lived in Wicklow, who died directly or indirectly as a result of World War 1 are listed on the monument.
Woodenbridge was selected as the site because it was the location where John Redmond MP made his famous speech on 20th September 1914 urging Irish volunteers to join the Great War. John Redmond was an MP from 1881 until his death in 1918. He was leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 until 1918.
Get your head around rounding – begins 28th October
Rounding is rolling out on 28th October to reduce the use of 1c and 2c coins. This means less coins handling, lower bank charges and less hassle for your business.
The change will be rounded up or down to the nearest five cent on cash transactions:
- If it ends in 1 and 2 – round to 0
- If it ends in 3 and 4 – round to 5
- If it ends in 6 and 7 – round to 5
- If it ends in 8 and 9 – round to 10
Rounding is only applied on change given on the final till amount, not on individual prices.
The donation of 1c and 2c coins will greatly benefit Irish charities such as “Change for Charity” and “Make-a-Wish Ireland”. If you would like to collect donations for “Change for Charity”, please contact 086 8898190 or info@changeforcharity.ie You can contact “Make-a-Wish Ireland” on 01 2052007 or info@makeawish.ie
For more information please ring the Central Bank’s Public Contacts Helpline on 1890 777 777, email rounding@centralbank.ie or visit the website www.betterallround.ie
Arklow Tidy Towns Results 2015
Congratulations to Sandra Hall, Sandra Duffy and the Arklow Tidy Towns committee on achieving 3rd place in the county. This is what Sandra Duffy had to say about this achievement…
“This year we jumped 7 points to achieve a mark of 298…3rd in the county out of 26 entries. Our litter and tidiness mark beat the winner Letterkenny by 3 points. Other categories will have to be worked on. WE were awarded a bronze medal & commended in the adjudicators report. Our thanks to all the residents, volunteers, schools and businesses who came out to clean. The CE Scheme & Gateway Council Scheme are to be credited with the cleanliness acknowledged by the judge. An area that was complimented was the abundance of wildlife features in the town but no identification information boards highlighting these. If anyone like to sponsor information boards on the river walk or the beach or graveyards please let us know. Another category we could increase points in is sustainable waste and resource management. If any of the Chamber Members are recycling waste, or becoming paperless or switching to LED lighting or saving water etc. or doing any environmentally enhancing activity would you contact the Chamber Office so we can include it in next year’s submission. Our sincere thanks to everyone who helped achieve this fantastic result…”
Congratulations to Kajsa Kinsella
Arklow woman Kajsa Kinsella is celebrating the launch of her second design and craft book and will be doing a book signing in Eason, Arklow on Saturday, 14th November between 1 pm and 3 pm. Both her books “Nordicana” and “Sew Scandinavian” will be on sale in store as from next week and if the customer wants their already bought copy signed, then they are very welcome to bring it along on the day for a signature and a chat! The book is a step by step guide to sewing your own craft items in the Scandinavian Style.
For more information please contact Kajsa on her Facebook page or visit the website or open the PDF file below:
Well done Jessica Wall from Arklow School of Taekwondo!
Jessica Wall, who is a member of Arklow School of Taekwondo, did herself and her club proud recently in a national competition in Wexford at the IITF Irish Cup.
The young athlete, who holds the current rank of red tip, entered into both patterns and sparring. After impressing adjudicators, Jessica took home a second place trophy for patterns as well as a first place gold medal for sparring. She was supported by her family on the day, as well as Master Henry O’Neill (senior instructor) and John Hackett (assistant instructor).
The Arklow School of Taekwondo is located at The Marlborough Hall, St Mary’s Road and is taking in new beginners from age five years upwards.
Arklow Positive Ageing Week
Brendan Joyce, former Chairperson of Arklow Friendship Association launched Arklow Positive Ageing Week 2015. It will run from 27th September to 14th October. See programme of events below.
Arklow Carer Receives Award
Congratulations to Susan Dunne who was given a commendation award in Bluebird Carer’s i-Care awards held this week. 1,500 carers across the country were asked to provide their personal stories as to why they chose a career in care. Each person had to enter a video, poem or story. The high profile presentation was hosted by George Hook and filmed by Irish TV so it can be broadcast on Sky later in the month.
Blessings for CO – ED Schools
A new departure in primary education in Arklow was celebrated on Friday with a blessing ceremony at two local schools. St Michael and Peter’s Junior school and St John’s National School welcomed local clergy members and Bishop Raymond Field to their respective buildings at Castlepark and Coolgreany Road. There were a number of speeches given on the day which included an address from Anthony Byrne who chaired the committee tasked with implementing the changes. Fr Cosgrove paid tribute to all those involved in ensuring a smooth transition.
Short Story Award for Eleanor
An Arklow woman – Eleanor O’Reilly who began writing while on maternity leave three years ago has won the prestigious Francis McManus Short Story Competition 2015. During this period Eleanor has won an impressive awards including: the Trevor/Bowen International Short Story Award 2013 and the Writing4Autism 2014. She was also shortlisted for the James Plunkett Literary Award 2013 and the Fish Short Story Award 2014. Eleanor is currently studying for a Master’s in Creative Writing and is half way through her first novel, as part of the Master’s Programme. ‘Stoppin’ the Silence’ will be broadcast on RTE Radio1 at 11.10 p.m. on Monday, 5th October.
