The judging panel for the Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards will visit Athlone and Mullingar over the coming weeks, giving business and community groups an opportunity to showcase the spirit of enterprise in their local area.
Athlone and Mullingar are competing against towns from across the country that have been nominated by local authorities and their Local Enterprise Offices or recommended by the public. The judging process will cover a wide range of areas including local enterprise initiatives, attractiveness of the town, enterprise partnerships, town leadership, overall community support as well as efforts to foster better inclusion and diversity.
On Tuesday, September 10, the judges will visit Mullingar in the morning and Athlone in the afternoon, with a total awards prize fund of almost €200,000 to be shared by 40 towns including the overall national winner and the winner of the ‘Rising Star’ category.
Commenting ahead of the judging process, Ita Gray, Head of Bank of Ireland for Westmeath, said, “Westmeath is very well represented in this year’s Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards and the judges will have the opportunity to see the strong spirit of enterprise that exists in the two county towns they will be visiting. Enabling communities and business to thrive is at the heart of what we do at Bank of Ireland and the National Enterprise Town Awards are a chance for us to recognise and reward the spirit of enterprise across the country. We value the support of Westmeath County Council and its Local Enterprise Office and I wish the Westmeath nominees the best of luck for the judges’ visit and for the awards ceremony later in the year.”
The National Enterprise Town Awards are part of Bank of Ireland’s €1.2 million investment in enterprise development within communities across Ireland this year, with the winners to be announced at a gala awards ceremony in the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Co. Kilkenny on December 5.
