Over €100,000 CLÁR funding for Westmeath and South Roscommon
Funding in excess of €100,000 has been announced for a number of projects in Westmeath and South Roscommon under the Government’s CLÁR Programme which aims to target rural areas that have experienced significant depopulation.
The two big local beneficiaries of today’s (Monday) announcement by Rural Development Minister, Heather Humphreys are Camcloon National School, Ballydangan in the parish of Moore and Kilbeggan, each of which are receive €50,000 from the fund for significant upgrades.
The €50,000 CLAR allocation to Camcloon National School will go towards the installation of landscaped outdoor playing and exercise facilities for the 60 pupils in the school, while the €50,000 allocation to Kilbeggan will be used to upgrade the existing playground located in Kilbeggan Linear Park.
In addition to these two local projects which are due to be funded under the latest CLÁR announcement, another school in South Roscommon, Clonown National School has also been earmarked for funding to the tune of €20,106 for the installation of three public lights, a footpath and disabled access road markings at the school.
Meanwhile, a project in Shannonbridge, on the Offaly/Westmeath border, has been allocated €11,025 for a number of improvements. The Shannonbridge Community Services Group were given the funding for the installation of wheelchair accessible picnic benches, new planter boxes with flowers and shrubs, canopies, bins, and a ‘poop a scoop’ dog dispenser.
Since the CLÁR Programme was re-introduced in 2016, it has provided funding of over €38 million to over 1,600 projects in rural communities under various measures.
Today’s announcement sees 104 projects across the country benefitting from over €4.2 million in funding.
Fine Gael Senator for Roscommon-Galway, Aisling Dolan, has warmly welcomed the CLÁR funding for Roscommon and said she had promoted the funding programme to schools in her area, and she complemented the Boards of Management and Parents Associations of all the successful schools.
In relation to the funding for Camcloon National School, Senator Dolan said this was building on “the recent investment in an additional classroom and Special Education teacher’s area” in the school, but she added that the local school will need even more investment “to make this road a safer one and to reduce speed.”
In announcing the CLÁR funding, Minister Heather Humphreys said it puts “young people at the fore” by investing in “our schools, playgrounds, outdoor amenities and other projects – we are demonstrating the value and appreciation we have for the leaders of the future.”
The Minister added that “if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that our young people are our shining lights, investing in them is an investment in our future” and she described the CLÁR funding as “a game changer for rural Ireland.”
Further announcements under the CLAR Programme are expected from the Department of Rural and Community Development in the coming weeks.
CLÁR is a targeted investment programme for rural areas that aims to provide funding for small infrastructural projects in areas that have experienced significant depopulation over a defined period. There are designated CLÁR areas in all counties with the exception of Dublin, Kildare and Wexford