Almost €20,000 in LEADER funding has been allocated to two North Cork organisations, Cork North West Fine Gael General Election candidate Councillor John Paul O’Shea has confirmed.
€14,799 has been allocated to The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland, Liscarroll for a project to enhance and improve the outdoor visitor experience. This will include the purchase and installation of a new weather-resistant path and picnic tables.
€4,791 has been allocated to Ballyhoura Development CLG for its Ballyhoura Tidy Towns Support Initiative, which will see funding provided to five communities across the Ballyhoura area of North Cork to develop a variety of Tidy Towns plans.
The funding was announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD. Minister Ring has now announced more than €95 million in funding for 2,593 LEADER projects in rural communities in Ireland.
This increase reflects a significant expansion of activity over the last two years since Minister Ring introduced a range of measures to make the programme work better for both potential applicants and for the LEADER Local Action Groups which deliver the programme on the ground.
Commenting, Cllr. O’Shea said: “This is very welcome news and I congratulate both The Donkey Sanctuary and Ballyhoura Development. Both organisations have exciting plans and the funding they have received through LEADER will be put to good use.
“LEADER funding represents an enormous opportunity for rural businesses and communities that are in need of investment and it’s great to see the programme continuing to grow and make a difference for rural Ireland over the coming years,” he said.
