Published: Wednesday, 19th May, 2010 5:15pm

Clonown group launches major fundraising drive

A community initiative has been launched in Clonown this week in a bid to locate recreational facilities such as a sportsfield, walking track and playground on a vacant site in the village.

The Clonown Community Site project aims to buy a plot of disused land from Roscommon County Council and develop the site into a community-owned and run facility that could include a lit walking track, a children's play area and a playing field for sports, with future potential for the development of a shop or créche.

A few years ago, Roscommon County Council bought land to extend Clonown Cemetery, however over three acres remain unused. Following consultation with the committee and local councillors, the council is willing to sell this site to the local community for a discounted value of €35,000.

Committee chairman is Jackie Cunningham.

"Every other village in south Roscommon has these kind of facilities. Members of the committee approached local council members and they spoke to the council.

"The land has been idle for two years and the council are willing to sell it to us... Then when we own it, we'll get funds from the Lotto or LEADER to fund the facilities," he explained.

From June 1, committee members will be going door to door in the locality, asking for donations from people who live in the community, those who have family connections in the community and those living in the adjoining areas.

"We're trying to get 400 households to donate €100 each, there could be three or four people working in each household," explained Jackie. "This will be a community effort. There's many young families living around the area and we're trying to get something that's never been in the area."

In light of the recession, the committee are asking for donations of either €100 per adult or per household. Donations of other amounts will also be gladly accepted.The names and addresses of all donors will be recorded in a special register which will be stored locally and published at a later date.

The committee would like to ask all Clonown people to let their friends and relations from outside the area know about this project.

The committee will also be asking local businesses to donate and all donors will be entered in a corporate section in the register.

Jackie said that they are hoping to raise the €35,000 within the next 12 months, as the committee will have to apply for funding from the Roscommon Integrated Development Company, before the grant expires in 2013.

In order to apply for the RIDC grant, the applicant must own their own site.