Much has been achieved, due in large part to the quality, and sheer volume of the voluntary input by members of the local community as well as the growing relationships with state and other agencies over that period. The funding made available from the European Union and various Irish Government Departments has been a vital catalyst in the area.
Our aim is to facilitate the inclusion of those at most disadvantage, not only in terms of access to services for people who are disadvantaged, but also through their participation in policy development, decision making, planning, implementation and review of development initiatives in our area. We hope that this work, and their input, will inform policy at every level from local to regional and national.
We will provide a forum where the voices of those least often heard are encouraged, their contributions valued, and actions based on their experience can be put in place, counteracting those forces which cause them to be disadvantaged. By co-ordinating the input of the community, social and business partners, and state and other agents active in the development of our area, much more can be achieved. We will work to ensure that the impact of initiatives being put in place will be a positive factors for all members of our community.
Though our area is one of the most beautiful in the country, life here is no rural idyll. Industry in our area is based primarily in agriculture and manufacturing, combined with a lack of service-type industry and problems of isolation and lack of services are being exacerbated by depopulation and lack of investment in infrastructure. The rural nature of our area is an integral part of each process / strategy / action considered. Ease of access, increased participation, and sustainability for small rural communities, especially those most isolated from social, economic and cultural resources, form the core of all the work being undertaken