Swinford has been entered into this years Pride of Place competition.

pride of place logo 2014

Swinford has been given the honour of being entered into this years Pride of Place competition. Swinford is representing Mayo in category 4 of the Pride of Place competition, with a population of between 1,000 and 2,000 people. Judging will take place on the Tuesday of Síamsa sráide the 5th of August.

pride of place letter head

What is Pride of Place?

Pride of place is an all island competition and is directed towards recognising improvements by local communities to create civic pride in their area. The competition focus is on people coming together to shape, change and enjoy all that is good about our area.

The competition is hosted by Co-Operation Ireland under its local Authority programme in conjunction with the all island local Authority steering forum comprising officials from Authorities from both north and south of Ireland. In Pride of Place, community groups have the unique opportunity to showcase specific pride initiatives which will have long-lasting and positive impacts on their society.

What will we be judged on?

Activities may include community centre’s, the tackling of social exclusion issue’s, the establishment of residents associations, or the provision of childcare facilities. Our category will be judged on the following;

A. Community participation which include the following sub-categories,

  1. Level of involvement from individuals and groups
  2. Evidence of community involvement in providing support to youth, people with disabilities, minorities and the elderly.
  3. Active involvement with local agencies, local council and business.
  4. Evidence of innovation.

B. Impact on Community/Area,

  1. Engagement of residents/business in caring for the natural and built environment.
  2. Sustainability and long-term benefits.
  3. Preservation of the culture of the area.
  4. Linkages with neighbouring communities.

What is required of you?

The full co-operation of your club or organisation is required over the next 3 weeks. We need a liaison person who will be available to attend all meetings for the next 3 weeks and provide us with a brief outline of your organisation/clubs history. While it is an opportunity to showcase the work that your club has done we must be focused on the criteria that we will be judged on. We have a slot of two and a half hours to make our presentation and considering the amount of clubs involved, the briefs will range from 30 seconds in some cases to less than 5 minutes in others. We need you to come on board and help us with our preparations and make a record of your input as part of the overall presentation.

Why do we need you to be involved?

Like any team, we are only as strong as our weakest link! Many of you have worn the Swinford jersey with pride and have enjoyed success. Many of us have not had the opportunity to represent our County before and this Pride of Place competition gives us that unique opportunity to put our best foot forward. Our time for organisation is limited, our resources are limited and there is no doubt that this is not going to be an easy task to undertake. I myself have been involved in underage GAA teams and make the point of telling players that they should “never let your town down, never let your parents or family down and most of all never let yourself down” .

I am asking you to step up and as part of our team; please help us realise our potential and make this the best performance that we can make for our town, for our families and for ourselves.

There will be a meeting in the Cultural Centre next Wednesday evening the 16th of July at 8.30. Please make every effort to attend and please contact me if you require any further information.

michael smyth sig

 

 

Michael
Follow Us
Latest posts by Michael (see all)
Sponsored by BizSpace.ie