Ó An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail
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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has today (Tuesday, 13 September) announced over €2.75 million in funding to support 74 community projects nationwide.
Under the CLÁR Programme, sports clubs, schools and community groups will receive grants of up to €50,000 to develop a range of projects that will benefit people of all ages.
The successful projects include astroturf pitches, community gyms, playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts, outdoor pool tables, outdoor cinemas, walkways, public toilets and car park facilities.
The investment is the latest to be delivered under Our Rural Future, the government’s ambitious rural development policy.
Announcing the successful projects today, Minister Humphreys said:
“Our sports clubs, schools and community groups are the lifeblood of Rural Ireland. They are a focal point – places where people of all ages come together to socialise and meet up with friends.
“This investment of over €2.75 million under the CLÁR Programme will support 74 diverse community projects the length and breadth of the country. It’s an investment that will improve the lives of our young people – providing them with facilities such as astroturf pitches, playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts and even outdoor pool areas.
“And the funding will also be used to deliver the likes of walkways and sensory gardens, which families and our elderly people can enjoy. The funding I’m announcing today is another example of the positive impact ‘Our Rural Future’ is having in towns and villages the length and breadth of the country. I want to commend the work of all the successful applicants. They should be very proud of the wonderful projects they have put forward on behalf of their communities and I wish them the very best of luck in bringing these projects to fruition.”
Examples of some of the successful projects receiving funding today include:
The overall amount awarded under all measures of the 2022 CLÁR Programme is a record €12.2 million with 292 projects being supported.
Since the CLÁR programme was reintroduced in 2016, funding of over €57 million has been approved for over 2,040 projects.
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 new 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.
CLÁR funding works in conjunction with local funding and on the basis of locally identified priorities. CLÁR 2022 was announced in February 2022 with applications invited under 3 Measures:
Measure 1: Developing Community Facilities & Amenities
Measure 2: Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport
Measure 3: ‘Our Islands’
Today’s announcement relates to Tranche 2 of Measure 1 of the Programme. Tranche 1 of Measure 1 and Measures 2 and 3 of the Programme were announced earlier in the year.