€320,195 has been granted in funding to support parish halls and community centres in Waterford with energy bills.
Welcoming the measure, Waterford Junior Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler stated: “A new Community Support Fund of over €320K for Waterford will assist community groups across the county by providing small grants to help with running costs.
“Support is available for Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, ICA Groups, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s Sheds, Women’s Sheds and more.
“The new scheme has been devised to support groups with their energy costs who may not have been deemed eligible under previous Government schemes. These include groups that operate from parish halls and who need support with running costs such as energy or insurance bills.
Minister Butler continued: “Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade works and to purchase equipment to support their activities such as laptops and printers, lawnmowers, training equipment, etc.
“I fully appreciate the fantastic work carried out by volunteers in communities across Waterford whether it’s the local Parish Hall Committee, the Development Association, or the local Senior Citizens Group.
Minister Butler concluded: “These local committees work hard to make sure they can keep the lights on and run fantastic local services and events for young and old to enjoy. These will be small grants ranging from a few hundred euro to a few thousand euro, but I know they will make a big difference to the groups involved.
“The Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) will administer this fund on behalf of the Department of Rural & Community Development at local level and I would encourage community groups interested in applying in Waterford to contact their LCDC without delay.”
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