From Department of Rural and Community Development
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The Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has today announced over €2 million in funding which will allow community groups to purchase vehicles designed to transport people who have mobility issues or people being treated for cancer.
Community groups that perform roles such as transporting blood samples from hospitals and delivering medication will also be supported under the initiative. So too will Mountain Rescue Teams and Sub-Aqua Groups.
Overall, Minister Humphreys announced €2,026,853 under Measure 2 of the CLÁR Programme – supporting the purchase of a record 37 vehicles in rural communities.
Some of the projects being supported include:
Announcing the successful projects, Minister Humphreys said:
“It is wonderful to be supporting these vital services in our community. Each of the recipients of funding today play a critical role providing essential services to members of the public who are most in need, including by bringing them free of charge, to cancer treatment and to day care centres.
"They also provide essential transport services for blood samples and medication and, equally important, delivering search and rescue services. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these organisations and the individuals who work with them and it is my great pleasure to support them through this investment.”
The Minister continued:
“This year, 37 organisations have been successful under this Measure – the highest number of projects to date. The total funding provided to Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders to close to €8 million since 2018. In that period over 155 projects have been delivered. I will do all I can to ensure these services continue into the future."
The measures being funded under the 2023 CLÁR programme are:
Details of the successful projects can be found in the document below.
CLÁR 2023 - Measure 2 approvals
Details of projects supported under Measure 2 of the 2023 CLÁR Programme announced in August 2023.
Successful applications under Measures 1 and 3 of CLÁR 2023 will be announced at a later date.
The CLÁR (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) programme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and forms part of the government’s ambitious five-year policy for rural Ireland, Our Rural Future.
CLÁR is a targeted investment programme for rural areas that aims to provide funding for small infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. There are designated CLÁR areas in all counties with the exception of Dublin, Kildare and Wexford. Details of the designated areas are available.
CLÁR funding works in conjunction with local funding and on the basis of locally identified priorities. Originally launched in 2001 but closed for applications in 2009, the CLÁR Programme was reintroduced in 2016. CLÁR 2023 was announced in March 2023 with applications invited under 3 Measures:
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas. CLÁR is one of a suite of schemes which support the delivery of Our Rural Future.