County Wicklow Public Participation Network
Email:
Web: countywicklowppn.ie
Tel: 087 189 5145
Post: Co Wicklow PPN, c/o C.E.A.R.T., Crinion Park, Wicklow Town, Co Wicklow
Member Update Bulletin –May/June 2017
Co Wicklow PPN News
Welcome New Members: We are delighted to welcome the following groups as new members:
Bray Tidy Towns – Works with the local authority, businesses and local stakeholders to enhance and maintain Bray, promoting the area and making it a better place to live, work, and shop in while encouraging tourism
Aughrim & District Active Retirement Association – provides a safe and social outlet to support the physical and mental wellbeing of older people in the Aughrim and surrounding areas
Crosscare – East Wicklow Youth Services – works with young people aged 10-25 years, prioritising those most in need. EWYS runs a drop in service twice daily six days per week, provides group activities and informal education and provides advocacy and outreach work.
Vartry Angling Club – is a fly fishing club of up to 120 members based on the Ashtown reservoir overlooking Wicklow Town. They run competitions, fly tying demonstrations, barbeques etc. The club cares for and maintains the facilities around the stocked fishery
Ballywaltrim Recreational Park Management Committee – works with the local authority in caring for and coordinating the maintenance of the Pavilion and Playing Fields in Ballywaltrim
Enniskerry Boxing Club – provides a social outlet for boys and girls in a disciplined and fun environment. Fostering inclusion, respect and good health.
Carrig Glen Resident’s Association – works hard to enhance and maintain the Carrig Glen Estate in Blessington
Boys Brigade – provides activities for boys of primary school age in the Baltinglass area every 2nd Friday of the month
County Plenary: Our County Plenary took place on Wednesday 31st May at 7pm in The Brockagh Centre. We’d like to thank those who were able to come along on the night and participate in the discussions. The Co Wicklow PPN 2017 Workplan was presented and approved. Suggestions were also put forward for other pieces of work that the PPN could do to support members. We introduced Grainne our new support worker and highlighted the work and events coming up this side of the summer (more about those to follow). Deirdre Whitfield, Community, Cultural & Social Development, Wicklow Co Council, provided information and advice in relation to funding streams coming through the local authority. Presentations from the meeting are attached to this bulletin.
PPN Representative Reports – Accompanying this bulletin is reports from our Representatives who sit on the following committees: Wicklow Children & Young People’s Services Committee, Wicklow County Childcare Committee, Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary and Wicklow Rural Transport Programme, WCC Community Cultural & Social Development Strategic Policy Committee and Wicklow County Tourism. A big thank you to our Representatives!
Mind Your Mental Health –We are continuing our work with Co Wicklow Volunteer Centre and Mental Health Ireland to bring these beneficial workshops to Co Wicklow and will return to Arklow on Thursday 15th June to facilitate modules 3 & 4 with groups that did the first 2 modules with us in April
Let’s Talk About Community Development – Is a PPN information and community engagement event where member groups can find out about community development structures, plans and processes that can impact on their areas and way of life. Groups will find out what the Local Community Development Committee is. We will find out about the Local Economic & Community Plan and how it influences community activity in the county. We will also find out about the LEADER Rural Development Programme and the Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme and how they can impact in communities. Finally we will explore how community groups can engage and influence these processes which impact on community life in the county. This meeting will take place on Monday 26th June at 7pm in The Brockagh Centre. For more information and to book a place contact us Email: Tel: 087 189 5145
Let’s Talk About Disability #Wicklow4All – Co Wicklow PPN in collaboration with Disability Federation Ireland and Wicklow County Council are inviting people with disabilities who live, work or socialise in the Bray and Greystones Area of Co Wicklow to attend this Workshop which aims to identify and propose solutions to common accessibility issues in their local area. With support from Bray Area Partnership Disability Network we will examine experiences in regard to: physical access, access to local services and raising awareness of the issues affecting people with disabilities locally.
The event will take place on Wednesday 28th June from 10.30am to 1pm in The Little Flower Hall in Bray. Places are limited so people are encouraged to register before June 21st. To find out more and register a place contact: Laura English Email: Tel: 086 8206736 or Helen Howes Email: Tel: 087 1895145
PPN Presentations –We enjoyed meeting and presenting to groups at the recent Wicklow County Council Community Awards Presentations in Wicklow 22 May, Baltinglass 23 May, Arklow 24 May, and Bray 30 May. We look forward to meeting Greystones groups on 27 June
We are also grateful to the elected members of the Wicklow, Arklow and Baltinglass Municipal District for their welcome and support when we presented Co Wicklow PPN to them recently. We look forward to meeting the Greystones elected members on 27 June and the Bray members in September.
PPN Advisory Group – met on 7th June. Jason Carney was introduced as the new principle officer for PPNs. A 2016 reporting template has been issued to all PPNs with a submission date at the end of the month. The information from the reports will be collated into a document which will provide a base line picture of PPN development in 2016. The report will be launched at an event towards the end of this year. The meeting also discussed the staffing challenges and workload for PPNs, and the roll out of Salesforce as a communication tool.
PPN Resource Workers Network – Met on 26th May and received presentations from: Eirgrid, Comhairle na nÓg, Irish Rural Link and the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office. The workers prepared a presentation/workshop to be delivered at The Wheel’s Annual Conference in Corke Park at the end of this month. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Technology Cork briefly explained a process they’re working on to develop a Well Being Statement Toolkit which will be made available to PPNs in the near future
PPN Secretariat – will meet on 20 June in Bray. The most important items on the agenda will be finance and the completion of the Co Wicklow PPN 2016 Annual Report which is to be submitted to the Dept. Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government by the end of this month
Seeking Nominations for Representative Seats: There are still vacancies for community representatives on the following committees. If your group is interested in making a nomination please get in touch:
PPN Secretariat – 2 Environmental Reps, Joint Policing Committee – 1 Greystones Rep and 1 Arklow Rep, Economic Development & Enterprise Strategic Policy Committee – 1 Environmental Rep, Wicklow County Childcare Committee – 1 Rep with an interest/experience of services for young children. South East Fisheries Local Action Group – 1 Rep with an interest/experience of our coastal communities. Please remember only Full Members can make nominations and vote in PPN elections
General News & Training Opportunities
Wicklow Community Directory: has recently been updated and re-launched. Co Wicklow PPN highly recommends that member groups register on Wicklow Community Directory. It’s a great way to highlight the work of your group and find out about other groups and services in the county. If you have registered with the directory in the past you should check that your details are correct. Go to: www.wicklowcommunitydirectory.ie
Digital Film Making Course: is a free course being run collaboratively by Glenealy IT Centre and Co Wicklow Partnership and is specifically for 18-35 year old people who are unemployed/in receipt of a social welfare payment or are medical card holders. For more information contact Glenealy IT Centre on 0404 44980 or Liz Dunne on 087 2328578
Free Hairdressing Course: is being run collaboratively by Linda’s Hair & Beauty Academy, Main Street Carnew and Co Wicklow Partnership and is specifically for 18-35 year old people who are unemployed/in receipt of a social welfare payment or are medical card holders. For more information call 089 9417114 or Liz Dunne on 087 2328578
Wicklow Local Sports Partnership School Programme – is challenging pupils and teachers in primary schools throughout the county to reach 10,000 steps per day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Wicklow LSP will supply pedometers and tracking sheets to schools and can be contacted on 0404 20100
Member Events
Signal Arts Centre presents:
· Signal Arts Society 17th Annual Exhibition from running until 18th June
· The Goose Field by Mary Duffy running from Tuesday 20th June to 2nd July
Arklow Positive Ageing - is organising the following events:
15 July – Newbridge Shopping Day 7 Curragh Racing cost €20
19 August – Tayto Park cost €25
17-21 Sept – Annual Holiday to Clayton Hotel Galway cost €350
30 Sept – 8 Oct – Age Action Week
Nov – Cabaret & Show Venue to be decided
17 Dec – Arklow Positive Ageing Christmas Party
Activities are open to all ages and a savings club has been set up. For more information contact the committee on 086 0817534
Funding Opportunities & Awards
Estate Development Funding – for Residents of Wicklow County Council Social Housing Estates for the upkeep of green areas within their estates. Also for private housing estates in which there are a number of Local Authority properties. More information can be found here: http://www.wicklow.ie/estate-development-funding-scheme-2017 Deadline for application 4pm Friday 16th June
Local Agenda 21 Funding – is for projects or initiatives that could help to increase awareness of environmental issues locally, or that could help communities to become more sustainable. More information can be found here: http://www.wicklow.ie/local-agenda-21-funding-2017 Deadline for application 5pm 23rd June
Wicklow Local Community Development Committee – is inviting applications from community & voluntary groups and not for profit organisations for small scale capital projects with a clearly defined community and social cohesion focus. Eligible Facilities Include: Development/Renovation of community centres; Community amenities; Youth Clubs; Sports/Recreation Facilities, Improvements to town parks and common areas and spaces, Creative Ireland programme 2017-2022. The scheme will offer grants up to €1000 per project. For more information and application forms click here: http://www.wicklow.ie/communities-facilities-grant-scheme-2017 Deadline for application 30th June
The Katy Taylor Bursary – is open to students who are going into 1st year in college in September 2017 and excelling in sport. The fund is €1,500 per year for up to 4 years of college. For more information contact Wicklow Local Sports Partnership – Lisa or Aishling on 0404 20100 Closing date for application is 11th August.
The Coca Cola Thank You Fund - is open for applications from non for profit groups “Working with Communities in Ireland and Northern Ireland to Inspire and Support Young People” More information and application forms can be found here: http://www.coca-cola.ie/stories/thank-you-fund/how-to-apply-in-five-simple-steps
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