Published: Thursday, 18th March, 2010 1:01pm

Mullingar groups ineligible for Leader funding

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Mullingar's status as a Gateway town has meant that town-based community groups are missing out on help from LEADER funds.

Over €40,000 of LEADER funding has been approved for Westmeath community groups in the last three months - but Mullingar town community groups aren't eligible to apply for anything from the LEADER pot, it has emerged.

Westmeath Community Development (WCD) - which administers LEADER funding in Westmeath - revealed this week that they have been forced to disregard applications from groups within the Mullingar Town boundary, on account of the designation of the town as part of the Midland Gateway under the National Spatial Strategy. Up until March 2008, town community groups - such as resident groups - would have been supported from the same LEADER funding.

Outside the town boundary, community groups have already benefitted to €43,365.97 of grant aid this year alone.

The Fore Motorcycling Racing Club has been approved just over €15,000 to purchase safety equipment. This money supports not just the group but also tourism in the area explains Anne Marie Taaffe of WCD: "Fore Motorcycling Club's 'Races of the South' at Walderstown is now an international event and expected to draw crowds of in and around 10,000 people.

"This money supports the promotion campaign for 2010 highlighting the weekend of the 10th and 11th of July.

"It also allows the club to purchase safety equipment as in previous years the club bore the burden of hire, which was expensive." Another tourism exercise assisted by WCD this year is a commerative booklet celebrating the centennial anniversary of the founding of the ICA, to be distributed nationally. An allocation of just over €800 has been approved for this project.

The "Aging with Confidence" course in Clonmellon, an 8 week educational programme for older people, has been approved a grant of €3,160. There is also funding for training community groups, to stimulate economic and social activity in rural areas. Committee Skills courses for committee groups in Sonna, Finea and Clonmellon have each been approved to the tune of €900.

The Ballinafid, Multyfarnham & Bunbrosna (BMB) Active Retirement Group has received €750 to cover training for their members and an allocation of €3,800 has been earmarked for community "energy training" programmes, aimed at encouraging sustainability.

"Many rural groups have expressed a desire to be more self sufficient in their energy and food needs but need direction to achieve this goal," explained Anne Marie.

Joe Brady of the Owel Allotment Centre, has been approved €2,302.50 LEADER Funding to provide introductory training courses for the allotments' leasees.

WCD, and neighbouring Offaly Development Company are jointly creating a pool of €29,000 to be made available to people in the crafts sector.

"Westmeath's allocation of funding from the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme for the period 2007-2013 is approximately €11 million. Since the programme didn't start until 2009 we expect it go for another 2 years after 2013. To date we have approximately €465,000 allocated in grants since the beginning of our RDP(LEADER) Programme," said Anne Marie.

Westmeath was allocated almost 11 million under the largest ever LEADER programme. Westmeath Community Development will operate the programme distributing funding to community groups and individuals in rural areas for the range of activities funded under the Programme.