Much praise for 'Moate is Open' shopping initiative

The 'Moate is Open' business and social media initiative before Christmas was the recipient of much praise from local councillors at the January meeting of Athlone-Moate Municipal District, with the Mayor suggesting that other areas should be helped to follow their example.

Shop Local signs were erected around the town at the end of November to highlight the importance of keeping business in Moate in the weeks before December 25, and anyone who spent €10 in a local shop over that time was entered in a massive draw for prizes worth €1,500, the bulk of which were donated by local people and businesses.

The idea, which gained huge traction among local shoppers, was also promoted on a popular 'Moate is Open' Facebook page where local products and businesses were highlighted.

Now, so impressed by the effort, Cllr Aengus O'Rourke is calling for an advisory panel to be set up to allow other streets, villages, towns, and traders' associations to follow Moate's example to promote business or development in other areas.

Setting out the thinking behind his motion, Cllr O'Rourke said there was huge interest in the 'Moate is Open' idea and social media engagement in it, mainly driven by one local, and he said it demonstrates that often leadership needs to come from the locality itself.

He said it's often thrown at him 'what are you doing for Connaught Street or other areas? And his reply is always 'what do you want to do or what do you want to achieve?' It's all about collaboration, he maintained, and an advisory group or panel that could link businesspeople with an idea to the many supports and schemes would be of great benefit.

Cllr John Dolan, who is a member of the Economic and Business Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) paid tribute to Nick Linnane, saying he is the person who led the 'Moate is Open' effort, and he was helped in this by a small grant from the SPC.

There was total buy-in to the Moate idea and Cllr Dolan said he certainly feels some kind of forum might stir others into doing the same.

In his own home village of Ballinahown, he said they have been successful by getting on the ground to come up with new projects, however, any new group should not conflict with the Public Participation Network (PPN) and needs to be more targeted than that.

He repeated his praise for the Moate project, saying it is certainly a model in the sense that a minimal grant was given and people got around Nick and supported him to make it a success.

His party colleague, Cllr Tom Farrell said he actually met Nick Linnane and put the idea to him which he leapt at.

“It worked wonders. It an example of what can be done when people work together,” he said in tribute, pointing out that this type of initiative could work in lots of places.

Following the lead of Elphin in Co Roscommon, Cllr Farrell praised the Moate Christmas Lights committee for deciding to 'keep the town lit' and leave the lights up for January. He said Ballymore, Mount Temple and Loughnavalley will also do the same.

Meanwhile, Green Cllr Louise Heavin also threw her support behind the idea, noting that there are lots of schemes available and it's about letting people know about them. However, she suggested it should be done through the PPN because all of the representatives, who are part of various community groups in the county, want to make a difference in their area.

While the idea garnered plenty of support within the council chamber, albeit virtually, via Microsoft Teams, the council's written reply didn't display much enthusiasm for a new group, saying that it “does not have the resources to service such a panel”

Instead, it suggested that “there are various established means by which villages, towns and traders’ associations can request support, such as through the elected members, the PPN, the community or other sections, or through business representative organisations.

“It is considered that the creation of an additional structure would lead to confusion and could raise expectations to an unrealistic level,” the reply from the council executive ended.