Clare County Council seeks expressions of interest from local communities for IPB Pride of Place 2016

Expressions of interest are being sought from local communities, projects and housing estates around Clare who wish to participate in the IPB Pride of Place 2016 in association with Co-operation Ireland.

This annual all-island initiative, which is hosted by Co-operation Ireland and sponsored by IPB Insurance is run in conjunction with local authorities, North and South, and aims to recognise and celebrate the contributions made by communities to society.

Nominated Clare communities will be hoping to emulate the local successes of recent years, including the first place award to Doonbeg Community Development last year, Miltown Malbay’s first place award in 2013 and Killaloe and Tuamgraney's Runner-Up finishes in 2014. Clare County Council also won a special award in 2014 for its contribution to the competition since it was first established in 2003.

Clare County Council may nominate one group per category, providing the total number nominated does not exceed five. Judging for Pride of Place 2016 takes place between June and August.

Winners, runners up and special award recipients will receive a trophy and small monetary prize at November’s awards ceremony, at a location and date yet to be confirmed.

There are eleven categories under which communities can enter. They include five themes: Age Friendly Community Initiative; Community Enterprise Initiative; Communities Reaching Out Initiative; Urban Neighbourhoods; Islands and Coastal Communities and five Population Categories: less than 300 people; 300-1000 people;1,000-2,000 people; 2,000 – 5,000 people and more than 5,000 people. The final Category is that of Housing Estates.

Entrants in any of the Five themes will be assessed under the following criteria: ‘Impact on Community’; ‘Innovation’; ‘Sustainability’; ‘Local Leadership’; ‘Management’; ‘Overall Impression’.

Entrants in any of the Five Population categories will be assessed under the following criteria; ‘Community Participation’; ‘Impact on Community/Area’; ‘Overall impression’.

Entrants in the Housing Estates category will be assessed under the following criteria: ‘Community Participation’; ‘Provision for the Vulnerable’; ‘Degree of Engagement’; ‘Impact on Community’; ‘Community Events’; ‘Overall Impression’.

Interested Groups are asked to submit a written ‘expression of interest’, detailing their preferred Category with a typed A4 summary setting out how they meet the criteria appropriate to their application.

Submissions should be made to
Philomena O’Connell,
Pride of Place Coordinator,
Tourism & Community Development Department,
Clare County Council,
New Road,
Ennis,
County Clare.

Further information on the competition is available at www.prideofplace.ie. Closing date for receipt of expression of interests is 4.00pm on Thursday, 31st March, 2016.