This article is from page 79 of the 2008-07-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 79 JPG
THE people of Miltown Malbay have always been proud of where they are from, and now the respect they have shown their local environment and their senior citizens is being recog- nised nationally.
The Senior Laichtin Naofa in the West Clare Family Resource Cen- tre is the only project in west Clare being considered in the All-Ireland competition Pride of Place.
Pride of Place started in 2003 and is an all-island competition directed towards recognising the improve- ments of local communities to create his Comm owe CoM OO MN elcsNUE-D Ror.
The competition encourages peo- ple to come together to enjoy all that
is good about their area as well as change or improve certain aspects of their community.
The competition is hosted by Co- operation Ireland under its Local Authority Programme in conjunction with the all-island Local Authority Steering Forum comprising officials from authorities in all of the island of Ireland.
This year three new single-issue categories have been added to the competition – including Services for the Elderly. It is in this category that Seanoiri Laichtin Naofa is being considered for the €2,000 prize and trophy.
This unique low-cost service pro- vides social care for senior citizens in the area through a voluntary agency.
It offers a wide range of services to approximately 60 senior citizens every week such as library services, IT learning opportunities, medical support, leisure and meals daily.
Local County Councillor Christy Curtin (Ind) said, “This service is open for social networking for a group of people otherwise isolated.
“Tt is sustainable and as it operates as a low cost facility, this makes it at- tractive to further development.”
He paid tribute to the Local Ac- tive Retirement Association and ICA guild; bean an ti Cait Ni Loingsigh, the six volunteers, the three FAS workers and Clarecare.
‘This is amodel project on a low op- erating cost and minimum overheads fulfilling a significant social need in
a disadvantage rural area,” said Cllr Curtin. The concept behind the Pride of Place competition is very simple – to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that community groups make to society.
This basic element of community recognition makes the competition unique. Past entrants in Pride of Place have included groups involved in a wide variety of activities across the social spectrum. The common thread is the impact and difference these activities have made in peo- ples’ lives- just as Seanoiri Laichtin Naofa has.