Glenade

Climate Action, Environment, Heritage, Biodiversity & Agriculture Linkage Group

Leitrim PPN held a very informative Linkage Group meeting on 29th Jan with a great attendance.

There were useful presentations from:

• Leitrim Warmer Homes
• Retrofit Ready Sligo/ Leitrim
• North Leitrim Sustainable Energy Community

And an updated report from the Climate Action Team in Leitrim County Council was circulated.

Thanks to all presenters.

 

 

 

 

SPC Training for Leitrim PPN Reps
very successful

 

Brian Harvey, is an independent social researcher, working in social policy analysis, research, evaluation and strategic planning.  He facilitated this training session for SPC Reps on Fri 7th Feb in Sligo and talked about more effective participation. 

Being pro-active between SPC meetings and being pro-active at SPC meetings.

 

Why SPCs are important for PPN's:

Enable community and voluntary representatives to raise issues

◦Get them on the agenda

◦Progress them

◦Bring them to conclusion

 

It was also discussed how important is is to report back to PPN membership from the SPC meetings, this is through the Linkage Groups, all attendees will be emailed the slides.

 

Leitrim PPN collaborated with colleagues in the North West to organise this training.

Leitrim PPN Outreach Clinic this Thurs in Ballinamore Library- capacity building with member groups

1. Come along to learn more about the PPN
2. How to get involved and have your voice heard
3. Support with funding and upcoming grants and training courses

 

Ballinamore Library: Thurs 13th Feb 10.00am – 1.00pm

Results of recent survey on Leitrim PPN
e-bulletin

We would like to share the results of a recent survey on our e bulletin. See image!

 

Thank you to all who took part. Remember if your community group are holding an event/fundraiser please forward us the poster so we can advertise it for FREE for you in the ebulletin and social media platforms.

 

All e bulletin go  up on the Leitrim PPN website every two weeks and can be accessed below:-

Be Prepared & Stay Safe During Storm Outages – compiled by Leitrim PPN

• Keep a flashlight in each room of your house
• Torches – keep in an easily accessible drawer
• Batteries – stock up
• Battery Radio
• Flask
• Generator – invest in
• Hot Water Bottles
• Gas Stove & Canister
• Fill bath with water or collect rain water in a barrel – in-case of water outages
• Stock up on bottled water
• Buy disposable BBQ’s to cook
• Stock up First Aid Kit – easy access to medication such as inhaler, insulin
• Phone Power Bank – keep charged
• Toiletries
• Have food available that doesn’t require electricity to heat or prepare it
• Keep an ice chest readily available to store medication that must remain cold
• Prescription medication – have adequate supplies
• Keep freezers & fridges closed
• Keep doors & windows closed
• ATM’s may also be affected – have cash on you – shop may not be able to process card payment either
• Good idea to know how to manually open your garage door if you have an electric one
• Keep an eye on met.ie.
• Have your MPRN number readily available
• Use your car to recharge your devices/ keep warm but don’t keep car running in an enclosed area
• Secure garden furniture, swings, trampolines, shed & garage doors
• Be aware of how to override electric gates
• Save emergency numbers to your phone & also write them down (in-case of no signal)
• Keep pets inside
• Keep phones & computers charged
• If you are depending on electricity for medical reasons contact ESB network & they will register you as a customer with medical needs – Priority Service Register
• Unplug TV & PC to avoid damage to them in case of a surge when power returns
• Fill your car with petrol – many stations can not pump fuel during a power outage
• If you have an open fire/ stove, stock up on firewood/ fuel for the fire

 

Stay Safe

New Minister & Junior Minister for
Rural & Community Development

 

Mayo TD Dara Calleary has made a return to Ministerial ranks in the new cabinet under Taoiseach Micheál Martin.  Leitrim PPN would like to welcome his appointment.

 

The Ballina native will be the new Minister for Social Protection, Rural Affairs and the Gaeltacht taking over the role from retired Fine Gael TD Heather Humphries.

Deputy Calleary previously served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a brief period and served as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the last Government.

 

Social Protection and Rural Affairs is a much sought after department within Leinster House due to the number of community grants available for the Minister to help local organisations within their own constituency and futher afield.

 

Leitrim PPN has also welcomed the appointment of Jerry Buttimer TD as Minister of State with special responsibility for community development and charities. Minister Buttimer will oversee a sector that provides essential public services in areas such as health and disability services, social care, and housing. 

 

Charities, community groups, voluntary organisations, and social enterprises make an often overlooked 'third sector', which is distinct from the public and private sectors. 281,250 people, or one in eight in the Irish workforce are employed in the nonprofit sector which has an estimated economic impact of €32Bn when indirect and induced impacts are added.  

Leitrim PPN Member Spotlight

Fenagh Visitor Centre

Fenagh Visitor Centre opened in 2006 on the site of Fenagh Temperance Hall. 

 

Fenagh Visitor Centre is home to the Monk’s Den soft play centre, the Dolmen Café and Fenagh Heritage Centre.  Birthday parties, play sessions and historical tours all available.  The visitor centre has many events and runs many classes throughout the year.  Parent & Toddler, Yoga, Games of 25 and a book club for example.

 

Fenagh Development Company also manages Fenagh Community Centre, a great space for local groups to meet and run events.  They run historical tours of the fascinating sites around Fenagh.

Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards 2025 – Call for Nominations!

Do you know someone who goes above and beyond to help others?

A volunteer, a changemaker, or a community leader making a real difference?

Now is your chance to recognise their impact!

 

Deadline: 14th February

2025 Festival Grant Scheme

Leitrim County Council has three separate sources of investment for festivals – Tourism, Arts, and Community – which it advertises at the same time so that applicants can look at the different priorities, requirements and assessment criteria for each stream before choosing which strand is the most appropriate one for them to pursue.

 

Deadline: 23rd February

Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund Grant

The Fund has been established to provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives, recognize leaders in the field and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate.

 

Deadline: 28th February

Agri-Food Tourism Initiative

A call for proposals for Agri-Food Tourism Initiatives under the 2025 Rural Innovation and Development Fund (RIDF) has been announced.

 

Agri-food tourism is defined as the practice of offering one or more activities as part of a visit to areas of well-known agricultural produce and to sample and taste the local or regional cuisine or specialties.  These includes a wide variety of activities that involve links between agriculture and the food produced at the local or regional level, such as; staying on farm or touring food trails and events, participation in agricultural endeavours or buying produce direct from a farm or market. 

 

Agri-food tourism also encompasses local food, farmer and artisan market schemes that support and are paired with local and seasonal food producers and artisan crafts.

 

Deadline: 24th February

YLACES Grant Program

Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) offers grants to equip the rising generation with scientific thinking ability.

 

What prevents you and your students from conducting environmental research?

Is it access to scientific measurement equipment, transportation for field work, substitute teachers, or mentoring? Let YLACES help you overcome barriers to students progressing from taking environmental observations to doing environmental research.

 

Deadline: 28th February

Not-for-profit European Sport Events

The European Commission is requesting applications for its Not-for-profit European Sport Events under Erasmus Programme.

This Action aims to support the organisation of sport events with a European dimension in the following fields:

• volunteering in sport;
• social inclusion through sport;
• fight against discrimination in sport, including gender equality;

 

Encouraging healthy lifestyles for all: projects under this priority will mainly focus on:

• the implementation of the three pillars of the HealthyLifestyle4All initiative;
• the implementation of the Council Recommendation on health-enhancing physical activity and the EU Physical Activity Guidelines;
• the support to the implementation of the European Week of Sport;
• the promotion of sport and physical activity as a tool for health;
• the promotion of all activities encouraging the practice of sport and physical activity;
• promotion of traditional sport and games.

 

Deadline: 5th March

Culture Night Late

Culture Night Late is designed to support events that will begin after 9pm and continue late into the night on Culture Night, Friday 19 September 2025. The award is offered in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Night Time Economy Taskforce to offer audiences a greater diversity in their Culture Night experience late into the night, and to encourage more-inclusive and innovative late-night arts events suitable for a range of audience types into the future.

 

The award is open to local authority arts offices (including Ealaín na Gaeltachta), arts festivals, arts centres, production companies and arts organisations only to create a Culture Night Late event in a public space or place.

Maximum awarded €16,500.

 

Deadline: 6th March

EIT Food Impact Funding Framework

Applications for Impact Funding Framework Window 5 are now open for submission.

Help us create lasting and sustainable change in the food system.

 

The funding is focused on two separate areas – larger-scale collaborative programmes, and innovative single projects.

 

Deadline: 13th March

Community Heritage Grant Scheme

Take your project to the top!  The Heritage Council’s Community Heritage Grant Scheme is open now for community and voluntary groups and NGO's.

 

The Scheme is open to:

• Voluntary and community groups, for example, parish councils, tidy towns groups, local action groups etc.
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including not for profit trusts.

Deadline: 14th March

Brighter Futures Fund 2025-2028

What is the Brighter Futures Fund?

 

Fund Overview
The Brighter Futures Fund is a three-year fund aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing for marginalised groups in Ireland. 

 

Deadline: 24th March

Open Call for Participatory Art Initiatives

PartArt4OW unites art, science, and civic engagement to tackle pressing ocean and water challenges across Europe.

PartArt4OW is looking for interdisciplinary and intersectoral projects mixing art, science and participatory practices in innovative ways.

 

They are looking for Participatory Art Initiatives (PAIs), whose overall goal will be to:

• increase citizens’ ocean literacy
• increase awareness on the challenges and pressures faced by the ocean and inland waters
• mobilise citizens and stakeholders for the protection and restoration of oceans and inland waters

 

Deadline: 3rd April

Are you an Existing, New or Potential Childminder in Co. Leitrim?

Did you know you may be eligible for a grant of up to €1000?

 

For more information contact:

Aoife O’Neill, Childminding Development Officer

aoife@leitrimchildcare.ie 083 4683773

 

Deadline: 4th April

Zayed Sustainability Prize

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE's pioneering global award that recognises and rewards small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organisations (NPOs), and global high schools with impactful, innovative, and inspiring sustainable solutions.

 

Deadline: 23rd June

Substitute teaching survey 2023/24

Individuals who provided substitute teaching during the 2023/24 school year are invited to participate in this short anonymous survey.

**Attention Parents** Understanding and Supporting my Neurodivergent Child 

This webinar will give you an understanding of your neurodiverse child in all areas. It will look at the diagnosis process and where to go next. It will explain the health service and what the three pillars of our health service are. It will then look at supporting your child at home and some strategies that they can implement in school. It will give you practical tools for supporting your child’s sensory differences.

 

Course Content

 

· Explaining the diagnosis process and our health service.

 

· It will examine differences in neurodiverse children and how we can support them in home with practical examples.

 

· How we can support our children with sensory differences.

 

· Connecting home and school which is so important when supporting our children.

 

Webinar - Date & Time: Wed 26th Feb at 7.30pm

 

Email nancy@leitrimchildcare.ie to book in.

Call for Adult and Community Educators to participate in the 2025 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Advocate training 

Development Perspectives (DP) has launched the 2025 SDG Advocate Training application process for Adult and Community Educators.

 

Deadline: 10th March

Recycling - FREE EVENT

Anything with a PLUGor a BATTERYat the end of its useful life.
Saturday 15 Feb 2025
10am - 4pm
Avant Money Pairc Sean MacDiarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon

Domestic appliances - fridge, ovens etc
Display equipment - TV's, computers etc
Small appliances - keyboards, toasters, power tools etc.
All Bulbs and Batteries

Outsider.ie Outdoor Event Of The Year 2024 Nominees - Outsider Awards

This award celebrates the outdoor events that brought the outdoor community on an incredible journey in 2024 - Please vote for our colleagues in LDCo - Emma O Hagan and team who organised the first National Trail Conference.

 

Ireland’s first National Trail Conference, hosted by Leitrim Development Company in partnership with the ILDN and Rural Recreational Officers, was a resounding success in 2024. The event began with Leitrim’s largest outdoor recreational activity, The Carrick Camino, and continued with a variety of outdoor adventures on Day 2, including the Lough Key Triathlon, guided walks, foraging workshops, and more. Attendees gathered to hear inspiring keynote speeches, explore exhibitions, and participate in trail-building workshops. The conference fostered meaningful connections among outdoor enthusiasts and showcased innovative approaches to trail development.

Public meeting to discuss post Éowyn forestry fallout - Tue 18th Feb, The Landmark Hotel

Forestry owners whose plantations were affected by Storm Éowyn have been urged to attend the meeting in Carrick-on-Shannon on 18th February.

 

 

Open Call for Farmers

Leitrim County Council Arts Office in partnership with The Dock, Leitrim Sustainable Agricultural Group and Ulster Wildlife, is seeking expressions of interest from farmers for paid opportunities funded by the Creative Ireland Shared Island Programme.

 

If you have questions or would like to book a chat, you can contact:

Leitrim Arts Office

arts@leitrimcoco.ie

071 962 0005 Ext. 694

 

The Dock

thedockartscentre@gmail.com

071 965 0828 Ext. 7

 

Deadline: 23rd February

Primary School Writing Competition 2025

An Post are proud to promote literacy through fun reading and writing competitions.  This year, their competition focuses on a subject important to us all – Caring for our Community.

An Post, recognise that everyone holds the potential to nurture positive change and growth for their communities and beyond.

Pupils are asked to write a letter about how they will contribute to the growth, wellbeing, and sustainability of their beloved Ireland and sow the seeds for a future we can actively shape and be proud of!

 

Deadline: 28th March

Interested in joining the board of trustees at Rural Action?

Rural Action is looking for dedicated and dynamic individuals to join its voluntary Board of Trustees.

The Volunteer Charter is here!

The charter is your blueprint for building strong, successful partnerships between volunteer involving organisations and volunteers!  The Volunteer Charter is a two-way guide, designed with care to clarify what both sides can expect when a volunteer steps into a volunteer involving organisation.

By embracing The Volunteer Charter, you're laying the groundwork for meaningful, impactful collaboration.  It's not just about setting expectations—it's about fostering trust, clarity, and mutual respect.  When we all commit to following this Charter, we create a foundation that enhances the quality of every volunteering experience, making it more rewarding for everyone involved.

Let's work together to make volunteering a truly inspiring journey!

Leitrim Women Through Time - Pop Up Women's History Museum

The Pop-up Leitrim Women's Museum returns again in 2025 for The Leitrim Gathering weekend!  Admission is free and all are welcome to our celebration of Leitrim women from the recent and distant past!

Are you registered to vote in the Ballinamore Electoral Area?

Leitrim County Council are currently carrying out an exercise to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the Register of Electors.

 

They are now writing to persons on the Register of Electors in the Ballinamore Area for whom they hold incomplete details.

 

Make sure your details, including Date of Birth, Eircode and PPSN are up-to-date to help ensure an accurate Register of Electors.

Integration Cookbook

Leitrim Development Company are creating an integration cookbook to showcase the diversity in Leitrim and to bring people together through food.  They are looking for a few more recipes to be added, If you or you know someone who would like to take part all information is attached.

 

What is needed to be emailed to Deborah:

• Recipe
• Photo of the dish
• Your name and a little about yourself

deborah@ldco.ie