Laois PPN
Laois PPN was established in 2015 and over 400 organisations have registered with the PPN so far. These organisations were asked to choose the theme that they think most accurately reflects their main interests. These themed groupings are known as Electoral Colleges and there are three of them, Community & Voluntary Organisations, Social Inclusion Organisations & Environmental Organisations.
Organisations were also asked to choose the Municipal District in which they are active or in which they are based. There are 3 Municipal Districts in County Laois: Portlaoise, Borris-in-Ossary/Mountmellick, Graiguecullen/Portarlington (as shown on the map above).
What does the PPN do?
The PPN facilitates the sharing of information on funding opportunities, public consultations and policy development in Laois County and it also acts as a focal point for groups with similar interests to connect with one another and share information and expertise. It also allows groups to nominate and elect PPN representatives to the Committees of Council.
In 2015 elections took place and have resulted in PPN reps being elected to Committees of Laois County Council. More information on these committees can be found here and the names of the PPN reps can be found here. The elections also resulted in the formation of a 12-member PPN Secretariat which acts as a steering group for overseeing the activities of the PPN and acts as the administrative and communication mechanism for the PPN. The names of the secretariat are listed across.
Secretariat
Borris In Ossory/Mountmellick Area Secretariat
Mick Dowling
Borris In Ossory/Mountmellick Community & Voluntary Secretariat
P.J. Campbell
Borris In Ossory/Mountmellick Environment Secretariat
VACANT
Borris In Ossory/Mountmellick Social Inclusion Secretariat
Paddy Buggy
Graiguecullen/Portarlington Area Secretariat
Michael J Cobbe
Graiguecullen/Portarlington Community & Voluntary Secretariat
Vacant
Graiguecullen/Portarlington Environment Secretariat
Aidan Mullally
Graiguecullen/Portarlington Social Inclusion Secretariat
Donal O’Shea
Portlaoise Area Secretariat
Brian Maher
Portlaoise Community & Voluntary Secretariat
Robbie Quinn
Portlaoise Environment Secretariat
Vacant
Portlaoise Social Inclusion Secretariat
Bolaji Adeyanju
PPN NEWS
2018 Sports Capital Programme
The 2018 Sports Capital Programme will be open for applications from 9am on Friday 7th September to 5pm on Friday 19th October, 2018. Any organisation wishing to make an application under the Programnme must be registered on OSCaR by 5pm on Friday 5th October, 2018
https://www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie/
LEADER Rural Development Programme 2014-2020
TARGETED CALL FOR PROPOSALS: YOUTH FACILITIES/TRAINING PROGRAMMES
Laois Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in partnership with Laois Partnership Company has responsibility to deliver the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme in County Laois. The new Rural Development (LEADER) Programme promotes social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas.
Social Inclusion
This calls for proposals falls under the Social Inclusion Theme of the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme. It is recognised both at National and EU level that the youth unemployment rate across the European Union is unacceptably high particularly amongst more socially excluded groups. While the Social Inclusion Action Programme (SICAP) works with a cohort of disadvantaged urban youth there is a gap in the service provision for rural young people.
The Local Development Strategy seeks to address these gaps as follows:
LEADER Theme/ Sub-Theme: Social Inclusion – Rural Youth
Local Objective: Support the development of a wide range of skills among rural youth including entrepreneurship and innovation
Action: Training for youth in entrepreneurship and ICT/Capital Investment in youth facilities
Under these objectives, Laois LCDC now calls for expressions of interest from youth organisations and promoters of youth facilities and youth training programmes in County Laois.
Eligible applicants:
Community Organisations/ Youth Organisations in County Laois
Eligible Items:
The following items are eligible for funding:
- Capital projects providing facilities for youth groups/ Innovative training programmes targeted at youth groups.
- The total budget for this call is €325,000.
- This is a call for expressions of interest, only eligible proposals will be sent a full application form.
- Grant aid of up to 75% of total eligible costs may be awarded to successful organisations up to a maximum of €200,000.
For further information and to download an Expression of Interest Form please go to the Laois Partnership website (www.laoispartnership.ie) or contact:
Laois Partnership Company, Ground Floor, Block 2, County Hall, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
Tel: 057 8661900 Email: info@laoispartnership.ie
Closing date for completed expressions of interest is Friday 10th August 2018
LEADER Rural Development Programme 2014-2020
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Economic Development in Rural Areas
Laois Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in partnership with Laois Partnership Company has responsibility to deliver the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme in County Laois. The new Rural Development (LEADER) Programme promotes social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas.
Economic Development: Rural Towns:
This calls for proposals falls under the Economic Development: Rural Towns Theme of the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme
The Local Development Strategy seeks to enhance and sustain our towns and village centres and their function as focal points for their rural hinterland. Under this objective, Laois LCDC now calls for expressions of interest from local rural towns and villages for projects that have arisen out of the development of a plan for their own future sustainable economic development.
LEADER Theme: Rural Towns
Local Objective: Ensure the vibrancy of rural Laois through capacity building and support
Action: Grant Aid Programme to support projects arising out of town and village planning process
Eligible applicants:
Community Organisations in County Laois who are responsible for community development in their areas
Eligible Items:
The following items are eligible for funding:
- Rural town enhancement projects which enhance and sustain town and village centres as focal points for their rural hinterland.
Note:
- The total budget for this call is €500,000.
- This is a call for expressions of interest, only eligible proposals will be sent a full application form.
- Grant aid of up to 75% of total eligible costs may be awarded to successful organisations.
- Priority will be given to those projects which were identified through a formal community planning & consultation process.
For further information and to download an Expression of Interest form please go to the Laois Partnership website (www.laoispartnership.ie) or contact:
Laois Partnership Company, Ground Floor, Block 2, County Hall, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
Tel: 057 8661900 Email: info@laoispartnership.ie
Closing date for completed expressions of interest is Friday 10th August 2018
Laois Walks’ Festival 1st – 30th July 2018
LAOIS COMMUNITY & VOLUNTARY AWARDS 2018
Laois County Council in participation with Laois Public Participation Network wishes to celebrate the major contribution made by Community/Voluntary Organisations in County Laois
Nomination Forms are available in the following Categories
- Arts, Culture & Heritage
- Healthy & Active Community
- Children & Youth
- Environment
- Social Inclusion
- Age Friendly
- Unsung Hero
Community Awards Nomination Forms 2018
You can also make an individual nomination for an Unsung Hero Award for outstanding contribution by one person to community/voluntary life in their local area and/or the wider community in Co. Laois.
Unsung Hero Nomination Form 2018
Nomination forms and further information on terms & conditions are also available by contacting Community Development Section, Laois County Council on (057) 86 64150or by email at dce@laoiscoco.ie
Closing Date is Friday 24th August 2018 by 5pm
‘Be Winter Ready’
The Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) is taking the lead this year in producing the ‘Be Winter Ready’ leaflet. The focus this year will be on ‘Community Supports’ and DRCD would welcome input from community groups and other stakeholders. The leaflet is intended to provide helpful information about how to prepare for the winter in terms of community supports available (or that should be available) to the public during times of particularly severe weather. We hope to publish the leaflet in autumn 2018.
Extreme weather conditions are a challenge for communities and, as the recent example of Storm Emma has shown, combatting the effects of extreme weather calls for a community effort. While a whole of Government approach is coordinated through the work of the Office of Emergency Planning, solutions are implemented at a community level. We would like to tap into this experience and speak to community groups about the lessons learned over the last year. Particularly of interest is how information is communicated in an emergency situation: from the Office of Emergency Planning to the public and from the public to the Office of Emergency Planning.
The Department would like the next ‘Be Winter Ready’ leaflet to be informative, practical and concise. We would also like the leaflet to reflect our unique mission – to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. We believe that the work of our Department provides clear benefits to communities throughout the year. Supports like the Senior Alert Scheme provide peace of mind while our libraries are vital community hubs where people can access information and meet friends and neighbours.
In this way, while considering in general terms what information should be contained in the leaflet, we are also interested in your thoughts on which elements of the Department’s work are particularly relevant to supporting communities during spells of severe weather. Potential issues to be considered may include:
- Access to food
- Access to medical supplies/ treatment
- Dangerous road conditions
- Emergency services
- Flooding
- High wind speeds
- Home heating
- Loss of critical utilities (e.g. water shortage, electricity failure)
- Low temperatures
- Snow and ice
Those wishing to make submissions should consider the attached ‘Be Winter Ready’ leaflet, and outline how they feel the leaflet may be improved. The Department welcomes submissions in any format and does not wish to impose a template for responses. However, we would request that submissions are kept as brief as possible owing to the limited space available on the leaflet.
Queries and completed written submissions should be directed on or before 5pm on Thursday, 28 June 2018 to:
Ben Richardson Community and Voluntary Supports and Programmes
Department of Rural and Community Development
Trinity Point, 10-11 Leinster Street South, Dublin 2, D02 EF85
Dublin City University Research Study & Questionnaire on Storm Emma.
The Department, together with the Office of Emergency Planning, is assisting Dublin City University with research on the experiences of citizens in the light Storm Emma with a view to assisting Government bodies plan for future weather events of this nature.
Accordingly, the Department requests that the attached link/questionnaire be distributed to PPN members for their awareness and with a request that they assist in this research by completing the questionnaire at http://bitly/2ry7TS3.
Powerful Communities Conference
Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI) is delighted to invite you to the Powerful Communities Conference which will be held in the I.T. Sligo on the 15th of June 2018.
At this conference, we will launch our Powerful Communities project and bring you up to date with new renewable energy opportunities open to communities. These will include new sources of heat and electricity, grants for communities to get together to plan their own energy futures and examples of what is going on around the country. The conference will also include an opportunity for communities to discuss their own way forward.
This year we welcome Paul Kenny from Tipperary Energy Agency to give us insights on opportunities and barriers to larger-scale community projects in Ireland.
Please register via Eventbrite beforehand as places are limited:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/powerful-communities-conference-tickets-46437476743
DRCD Community Enhancement Programme 2018
Community Enhancement Application Form 2018
Community Enhancement Application Guidelines 2018
Applications are invited by Laois Local Community Development Committee under the Dept of Rural and Community Development’s Community Enhancement Programme 2018.
The Programme will support projects that would improve the quality of life for residents in disadvantaged urban and rural areas providing tangible supports. The funding will relate to capital projects only and should demonstrate added value. Match-funding is not a requirement for approval.
Deadline for receipt of completed applications is Monday 30th July 2018 at 5.00pm. Late applications will NOT be accepted.
An Application Form and Application Guidelines are now available from:
Laois LCDC, c/o Laois County Council, Community Development Section, Áras an Chontae, JFL Avenue, Portlaoise, Co Laois, Tel. 057 86 64060/4150 or email dce@laoiscoco.ie
Welcome to the Community Coffee Morning
Laois PPN Event “Welcome to the Community Coffee Morning”, took place on Ukrainian Independence Day, Wednesday the 24th of August 2022 in the wonderful grounds of Abbeyleix Community Garden. The garden and community were in full bloom to welcome Ukrainians from across...
Ramble at the Rock – Heritage Week 2022
On a beautiful Sunday morning, Laois PPN held a “Ramble at the Rock” event in partnership with Laois Heritage Office as part of Heritage Week 2022. The event was a guided heritage tour of one of the most iconic heritage sites in Laois – The Rock of Dunamase. ...
Portlaoise Plane – Heritage Week 2022
As part of Heritage Week, Laois PPN were delighted to invite its Member Groups to a Tour of the Portlaoise Plane. The event which took place on Saturday the 20th of August 2022 included a guided tour of the Portlaoise Plane led by Teddy Fennelly Chair of The Colonel...
What is the aim of Laois PPN?
A) To facilitate and enable the public and organisations to express a diverse range of views and interests within the local government system.
B) To facilitate the local authority in making better and more timely decisions through a structure that ensures public participation and representation on decision-making committees and bodies within local government.
Why should your group join?
- Networking – Share information and learn from other community & voluntary groups in your area or sector.
- Create a sense of solidarity and collative action across the county.
- Elect representatives to policy making boards and committees.
- Avail of free or low cost support and training in the county.
How can your group benefit?
- Get information on funding, grants and initiatives which are of interest to your group/organisation and community
- Be part of a new way for the local authority to consult with the general public on its plans/strategies and services, including: Local Areas plans, County Development Plans etc
- Elect representatives to local authority policy-making committees and influence what happens at these committees
- Networking: share information and ideas, learn from other groups / organisations in your area or sector
- Use the PPN’s interactive web platform to link directly with other like-minded groups and organisations across the County
- Register with a Special Interest Group and focus on areas that interest your group