Community Success Stories
Virginia Show
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially opened the one million euro Virginia Show Centre on the 6th of February this year.
Clann Credo – the Social Investment Fund, provided much needed loan finance to support the development of the Virginia Show Centre. The loan finance for the Virginia Show Centre was provided by Clann Credo as recognition of the importance of a community resource facility, and the long-term benefits this project would bring to the wider community.
In 2013 the County Cavan center successfully secured funding from the Department of the Environment for half a million euro. The Virginia Show Centre received the funding under the Rural Development Programme, for a new integrated resource Centre at the show grounds. Cavan Monaghan Leader put forward the application as the entire project is estimated to have cost almost €900,000.
The Centre opened last September and has since become an important icon in the community.
Demand for an Integrated Rural Resource Centre the concept for an Integrated Rural Resource Centre evolved from an open space conference held by Virginia Show Society in November 2006 titled Meeting Needs: The Virginia Show Society and the Future. The project was further informed by a Feasibility Study for the Development of an Integrated Rural Enterprise Centre prepared by Allen McAdam of MCA Consulting in September 2008. This study identified Virginia as a town which lacked a community resource facility despite its expanding population and predictions of future population growth. It concluded that while there was a requirement for such a facility the majority of organisations in the town would not have the capacity, in terms of securing a site and raising finance, to provide such a community facility. This is despite the fact that there were 25 clubs, schools and organisations identified in the Study as committing to use such a facility and a clear need to provide a safe and supervised environment for young people to socialise. It further identified a demand for farm diversification in order to support the livelihoods of much of the local agricultural population including that of many of the Society’s members. Through an on-going consultation process with its members Virginia Agricultural Show Society recognised that the Society was in a strong position to provide the necessary resources to enable the development of a facility of this nature. With over 200 members, mainly from an agricultural or rural background, the society is uniquely endowed with the necessary skill pool and human resources to support such a project. It has a strong tradition of voluntary work and has been the driving force behind a number of key large-scale infrastructural projects in the area in the past. It is also fortunate to have a strategically located land bank which lends itself to providing an appropriate site for the facility.
The Showgrounds are used for a variety of community purposes including the annual Vintage Fair Day and the Pumpkin Festival as well as dedicated classes and other intermittent and fundraising activities. The Virginia Show Centre will be a facility for the entire community, from the very young to the old and will foster a new sense of place among the existing established community in the Virginia hinterland and the new residents in the area. This project is funded by Cavan Monaghan Leader to the tune of €500,000.
Lough Gur
The Lough Gur Heritage Centre re-opened on the afternoon of February 16th. Over 35 guests directly involved with the refurbishment project were invited to celebrate the €500,000 transformation. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe officially re-opened the Lough Gur Heritage Centre.
The Heritage Centre interprets the archaeology, history, folklore and environmental history through a modern framework of exhibits. Guests at the event were welcomed by Manager Kate Harrold who also acknowledged the brave undertaking by the Chairman and voluntary board of Lough Gur Development for taking on the Heritage Centre and committing to the refurbishment and upgrade of the facility. Chairman Tom Flynn spoke directly after and thanked everyone who assisted with the project including Henry Connolly Builders, Molloy Qs and Drake Hourigan Architects. Minister Donohoe thanked the local community for their contribution to Tourism within the region and ended by officially re-opening the newly refurbished Lough Gur Heritage Centre.
Background to the Heritage Centre upgrade & refurbishment
The Heritage Centre was originally opened by Shannon Heritage in 1981 and was carefully managed as a tourism facility by the umbrella body for 30 years. In 2011 Lough Gur Development Co-operative Society Ltd (a non profit organisation comprised of local residents) with the agreement of Limerick County Council took over management of the Centre to improve and promote the Lough Gur area. As you can imagine the building and exhibition area was in need of upgrading after serving the public for so many years. In consultation with all the interested stakeholders in Lough Gur, LGD went about a redesign and upgrade process aimed at improving the visitor experience and enhancing the Lough Gur message.
With this in mind the Committee of Lough Gur Development and the local residents of Lough Gur, with great pride in their newly acquired venture, began intensive fundraising to carry out the necessary refurbishment works. LEADER Funding through Ballyhoura Development Ltd was the main financial contributor allocating €275,000 to the project. Additional supports were offered by Limerick County Council, The JP McManus Foundation and Tourism Cares (a US based organisation involved in the promotion of international tourism). Grant funding conditions often require that the costs are paid for before grant funding is received. Clann Credo provided Lough Gur Development with the necessary loan finance to undertake the project. This included bridging finance against approved grant funding and a term loan facility.
The long list of work undertaken included a complete overhaul of the building interior, the re-thatching of both roofs and the extensive redesign and creation of a new exhibition detailing 6,000 years of habitation at Lough Gur. There is plenty to keep everyone entertained whatever your age may be. The finished Centre now has a full display summarising 6,000 years of habitation at Lough Gur expertly designed and beautifully presented. For the budding archaeologist there is an interactive dig and a dressing up corner for those who wish to dress as our predecessor’s one did.
As Lough Gur Development open a new chapter in the history of the Heritage Centre it is with great enthusiasm and appreciation that the organisation moves forward into a new era. Creating employment, promoting the area and building confidence in a growing market are all top priorities for the new community enterprise.
The refurbishment of Lough Gur Heritage Centre is a magnificent achievement for the Development Co-Op, Lough Gur Community and all involved in the project.
Multyfarnham’s Community Centre
Official opening by Minister Michael Ring
Westmeath Community Development provided grant aid towards the construction of the building, as did the National Lottery through a Sports Capital Grant, and there was also a generous donation from the Franciscan Friary in Multyfarnham. The committee were also successful in securing a loan from Clann Credo which was instrumental in the project getting up off the ground.
Since the completion of work on the Centre in December 2013, lots of local organisations and groups make good use of the great facilities on offer. In fact, the impressive list of community users and range of activities include; GAA, Ladies football, handball, basketball, badminton, indoor soccer, active retirement, Irish dancing, mothers and toddlers group, country markets, Zumba, religious services, Pilates and local committee meetings. The Centre also has rooms for hire that are suitable for meetings, classes or training.
It is important to remember that the community have contributed hugely to the facility – and will remain central to the success of the Centre for many years to come.
One of the Directors and Treasurer of the Community Centre, Tom Donnelly, said "there is a new buzz in our community since the opening of this fantastic facility and we only hope it will flourish for years to come. Clann Credo had belief we could achieve our dream and it's thanks to them for providing the initial loan and all the other organisations that provided funding together with the support of our local community that have brought us to this stage".
Tips On Financing Your Future
Jennifer Hennessy, Social Finance Executive (North & East Regions) recently presented at The Wheel’s "Financing Your Future" workshop.
This workshop coincided with the launch of the new Financing Your Future good practice guide, which provides non-profits with a wealth of information about the latest and most innovative methods of income generation.
1. Innovation & Income Diversification:
Clann Credo supports many projects which are innovative at diversifying their income streams in order to maintain their financial sustainability. U-Casadh a social inclusion project and registered charity based on the border of Waterford and Kilkenny is a case in point. Its mission is to be a catalyst for change in attitudes to crime, social exclusion, rehabilitation and justice. As part of its business model U-Casadh moved to develop the social enterprise element of its programme which required an extension and upgrade of existing facilities. This brave move allowed for the development of innovative initiatives such as U-Casadh crafts. This in turn created jobs and allowed U-Casadh generate a steadier income stream for its programmes. Additional income is also generated from workshop space on site, as participants take a desk on a limited term at an affordable, flexible price.
U-Casadh has demonstrated the importance of being flexible with funding, and highlights the importance of not presuming that grants will always be available.
2. Partnerships:
Vantastic was established in the 1990’s due to the lack of accessible transport & the efforts made by the Centre for Independent Living Dublin. It provides a group travel service and individual door-to-door transport, as well as specialist routes for shopping, health care and leisure. Today, it employs 45 staff, has a fleet of 36 adapted vehicles and operates seven days a week. Vantastic has developed a number of joint partnerships, especially with local government, to deliver discounted local services for older people. They also generate income through sponsorship such as advertising on vehicles.
3. Think commercially and look to the open market for opportunities:
Almost half of Vantastic’s income comes from its trading activities. It has in the region of 200 organisational and around 7,000 individual members who pay subsidised fares for the transport that they use. Vantastic has also won various contracts on the open market for the delivery of specialised transport for people with mobility problems. Requests for tender are publicised on the government’s eTenders procurement website and Vantastic bids for these on a full cost recovery plus profit basis.
4. Look for Social Finance for capital investments:
Historically 90% of Vantastic’s funding came from government grants, today only half of them do. Loan finance was needed by Vantastic to provide capital to construct the interior of a new office and control centre, purchase and retrofit vehicles, and to train staff in order to get a new National Transport Operators License.
Vantastic has used loan finance to enable capital investment by taking out a social finance loan with Clann Credo. It has drawn down nearly half a million since 2002, mainly for the purchase of vehicles. These loans have allowed the organisation to react swiftly to market opportunities, avoid borrowing from mainstream financial institutions, and most importantly, provide members with services more quickly than would otherwise have been possible.
Aspects of this article were originally published in The Wheel’s “Financing Your Future” guide
website here.
View the presentation below.
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