Over €40k granted for new men's shed and parking in Ballymore

Two projects in the village of Ballymore are to benefit from funding of more than €40,000 which was announced this morning (Tuesday).

Ballymore Men's Shed has been granted €9,270 for the construction of a new shed which will be situated beside the Community Centre.

In addition, almost €37,000 has been allocated for the construction of a new car park at Market Hill, Ballymore.

The funding allocations were granted by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, through the CLÁR (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) rural investment programme

Welcoming the announcement, Westmeath Minister of State Peter Burke said the Men's Shed in Ballymore was "a fantastic local group" that he and Cllr Tom Farrell had been working with.

The group's new shed "will be a very useful facility and will allow more members to join in what is already great community group in the heart of Rural Ireland," said Minister Burke.

"While these projects are modest investments, they will make a huge difference to their respective communities," the Fine Gael representative added.

Ballymore Fianna Fáil councillor Vinny McCormack also said the funding would greatly benefit the locality.

"I have been working extremely closely on both of these projects for some time and I am over the moon that funding has been allocated.

"Earlier in the year I actually put together the CLÁR application on behalf of the Men's Shed and worked with the communities section of Westmeath County Council in terms of advancing it through the various stages.

"The Men's Shed are currently meeting in the back room of the Community Centre and needed additional space to carry out projects or undertake training.

"This funding will allow us to construct a shed on the community centre grounds and really allow the Men's Shed group to flourish.

"Both allocations announced today are further good news for the village, as we recently secured €50,000 to develop additional car parking at the Community Centre and a further €50,000 to complete works on the hurling wall at Fr Dalton Park."

Ballymore Men’s Shed formed in late 2021 and currently has up to 20 members who meet twice weekly. The group was born from the St Owen's Restoration Group and has registered with the National Men's Shed movement.

"In terms of funding for the car park at Market Hill, the Council has identified a need for additional space to accommodate staff parking for Ballymore Community Childcare.

"There have been safety concerns regarding the number of cars in the vicinity of this facility and, following traffic surveys, the engineer submitted an application to provide additional spaces.

"The planned works will be carried out in consultation with the residents of Market Hill and I will be asking Westmeath County Council to provide a copy of the planned works to all residents as soon as possible," concluded Cllr MCormack.

Another project in the east Westmeath village of Raharney will see €40,050 being granted for new street lighting.