The valuable contribution made by County Clare’s community groups and volunteers to their local area will be celebrated through a new awards scheme.
Clare County Council is inviting nominations to the inaugural Clare Community Awards which will culminate in a prestigious awards event honouring communities and volunteers at Hotel Woodstock, Ennis, on 7 March, 2019.
Applications are being invited under 8 separate categories including Volunteer of the Year, Junior Volunteer of the Year, Best Festival/Event, Community Innovation Award, Community Enhancement Award and Community Environmental Award. Applications are also sought for the Best Kept Public Residential Area and Private Residential Area. The overall Clare Community of the Year and Clare Volunteer of the Year award winners will also be selected during the awards ceremony in March.
Cllr. Pat Hayes, Chairperson of Clare County Council’s Rural Development SPC, commented, “This awards scheme is all about honouring those people who give freely of their time to give something back to their local community, and in doing so deliver a wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits for those areas. The Clare Community Awards also are a mark of Clare County Council’s programme of sustaining positive and co-operative working relationships with local groups and volunteers.”
Pat Dowling, Chief Executive, Clare County Council, said, “This awards night is the Local Authority’s way of thanking community groups and individuals for the valuable work they carry out. Their work not only has a positive impact on their localities, but has a real benefit in terms of the economy and particularly in terms of tourism in Clare.”
Applications forms, which are available from www.clarecoco.ie/services/community/competitions, must be submitted by 4.00pm on 15 February, 2019 to awards@clarecoco.ie (max file size of 6mb) or to Clare Community Awards 2019, Rural Development Directorate, Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare, V95 DXP2.