Local Fine Gael Senator, Aisling Dolan, has welcomed the launch by Minister Heather Humphreys, under the Department of Rural & Community Development, of the 2023 fund for CLÁR programme.
“The CLÁR fund is to support local communities in rural areas and groups can apply for funding for community and sports facilities, youth clubs, playgrounds, sensory gardens or walking tracks.
“Minister Heather Humphreys has announced a fund of €8 million under CLAR and this will have a huge impact so I’m encouraging community and sports groups with good projects in eligible CLÁR areas to apply to this fund.
“We are fortunate to have so many volunteers giving time to make our towns and villages even better places to live and bring up a family. CLÁR projects can really make a difference and we can already see new playgrounds, sensory parks and walking tracks emerging within our local communities.
“For the first time sports clubs can apply to improve spectator stands at their respective grounds. There has been high attendance at games in the past year especially after the impact of lockdown and this measure will be of immense interest at a local level.
“Groups can apply for up to €50,000 under community and sports club measures in this competitive fund working with the local authority. There will also be separate measures to support travel to day services in our towns, Cancer Care Transport, Community First Responders as well as our offshore island communities,” Senator Dolan asserted.
Announcing the details of the programme today, Minister Humphreys said that the CLÁR Programme wass all about supporting rural communities in realising their potential.
“It’s about delivering high quality community and sports projects that will make our towns and villages more vibrant places to live and more attractive destinations to visit.
“So, from the likes of astro-turfs, playgrounds, sensory gardens and handball alleys to outdoor cinemas, walking tracks and community gyms, CLÁR is designed to support a vast array of projects that will benefit people of all ages and abilities.
“Since the CLÁR programme was re-launched in 2016, it has made a very positive contribution to some of our most remote and rural communities. The initiative has supported over 2,100 projects with funding of over €57 million under a range of different measures.
“In virtually every town I visit, there are incredible people doing extraordinary work to bring communities together and I want to encourage and support these efforts under CLÁR,” Minister Humphreys stated.
