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23/11/2009 -

All-Island Pride of Place Awards

Congratulations to Prize Winners of the All-Island Pride of Place Awards

held in Newcastle, Co. Down on 21 November 2009

Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council would like to congratulate the following groups who were awarded prizes in the All-Island Pride of Place Awards on Saturday 21 November 2009 in Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, Co. Down. 

Runner-up - Category 1 Population 0-200
Ballintogher Community Enterprises

- Ballintogher Community Enterprises with Co-operation Ireland judges on 31 August 2009

Ballintogher Community Enterprises, Ballintogher, Co. Sligo was established in the mid 1990s to enhance and develop the village and its surroundings. Each community organisation in the area is represented on the Board of Directors.  Current and ongoing activities include some of the following:

• Co-ordinating body for all local groups
• Management of Enterprise Units
• Support residents associations and also active age organisations
• Support tidy towns’ activities. The village first entered the National Tidy Towns competition in 1990 and has been awarded a County Award on a number of occasions
• Re-development of the Community Centre – Phase 1 completed
• Annual Feis, established in 1977 to promote Irish dancing, music, singing, storytelling and art and craft activities attracts entrants from all over Ireland
• Ballintogher Traditional Music Festival was established in 1998 as a tribute to the renowned flute player John Egan
• Development of a sports area on 8 acres, completion scheduled for late 2009.

Runner-up - Housing Estate Category
Cranmore Community Co-operative Society

- Cranmore Community Co-operative Society with Co-operation Ireland judges and Mayor Councillor Jimmy McGarry on the Pride of Place judging day on 31 August 2009

Cranmore, located in the East Ward of Sligo Town, was built in several phases which meant that as each new community was developed they did not engage with their nearest community. Cranmore community has undergone immense social change through the baby steps which the Cranmore Community Co-operative Society has taken since its inception in mid 2004.  Residents realise that they can have a very strong say in the changes that take place in their area.

Their group comprises of six community elected representatives, RAPID representative, women’s group, disability group, youth, local community and resource centre representative, sport representative, neighbourhood watch and 12 residents associations, not forgetting the unforgettable Social Club representatives who raise the morale and keep the fun element of life alive.

Runner-up - Single Issue Category – Youth
Foróige - The CRIB Youth Health Café

- The CRIB Youth Health Café – Foróige with Co-operation judges on the Pride of Place judging day 31 August 2009

Foróige’s C.R.I.B. Youth Project and Health Café in Sligo Town involves young people in their own development and the development of their community.  It does this by involving young people directly through two project staff and volunteers in the CRIB and through the Big Brother Big Sister Programme, Comhairle na n-Óg, Foróige Clubs and a Drug and Alcohol Education and Prevention project.

The name C.R.I.B. stands for Choices Responsibility Ideas and Belonging, and was chosen by young people in 2003.  In essence the centre is a safe place for young people to be themselves, meet friends, deal with concerns they may have, and access appropriate information, support and services to enable them overcome adversity and help them lead happy, healthy and connected lives.

The Fundamental purpose of Foróige is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and in the development of society.

Congratulations are also extended to Belt Torc Company Ltd., Moylough, Tubbercurry who were short-listed in the Heritage Category.

Shortlisted – Single Issue Category – Heritage
Belt Torc Co. Ltd.

Belt Torc Development Company was formed in the late 1990s to promote and enhance all aspects of life in the rural area of Curry / Moylough, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo.  The company name was chosen to reflect the historical heritage of the area – the Curry Torc and the Moylough Belt Shrine (on display in the National Museum in Dublin). 

The company reflects a vibrant community, and aims to enhance all aspects of community life.  School, sporting and social activities are organised on an ongoing basis. Local walks have been developed, cross border links fostered together with links to Viarmes, a French town near Paris.

A new Heritage and Resource Centre in Moylough has been completed in 2006.  The Centre hosts an on-going display of items and photographs of historical interest, and is also used for community activities and events.

Belt Torc Company has promoted a number of publications in recent years which reflect the rich musical and cultural traditions of the area.

Pride of Place ~ background information

The Pride of Place Competition recognises and celebrates the vital contributions that community partnerships make to society. The focus is on people coming together to shape, change and enjoy all that is good about their local area. It differs from other similar projects in that they specifically recognise the involvement of the local community in all aspects of rural and urban regeneration including, promoting social cohesion, involvement in planning, the promotion of heritage and environmental awareness.

This is the seventh year of the Pride of Place Competition, which is run by Co-operation Ireland in partnership with the All-Island Local Authority Steering Forum, a forum which encourages strategic and sustainable approaches to cross-border co-operation by Local Authorities.