Front row: Brian McDermott CCLD Board Chairperson (Implementing Partners), Eoin Doyle Acting Chief Executive Cavan County Council, Jim Maguire Chair of the LAG/LCDC and Margaret Mohan Acting Head of Finance Cavan County Council. Back row: Deborah Leahy Senior Staff Officer Cavan County Council, James Masterson Development Officer CCLD/LEADER, Elaine Halpin Manager LEADER CCLD, Terry Hyland CEO CCLD, Brendan Jennings Director of Service Cavan County Council (Financial Partners), John Donohoe Chief Officer LAG, Cavan County Council, John Toland Development Officer CCLD/LEADER and Susan Monaghan Administrative Officer, Cavan County Council.

New Cavan LEADER programme opens next week

Published:

The new 2023-2027 Cavan LEADER Programme with a projects budget of €4.8 million will open to accept ‘expressions of interests’ from Tuesday 30th April, 2024. The grant aid programme co-funded by the EU and the Irish exchequer will be delivered by Cavan County Local Development (CCLD) on behalf of Cavan Local Community Development Committee (LCDC)/Cavan Local Action Group (LAG), in partnership with Cavan County Council (financial partner).

Speaking in advance of the LEADER programme commencement at the signing of the LEADER contract, Jim Maguire, Chairman Cavan LAG/LCDC, said that since its commencement in 1991, LEADER has made a significant contribution to economic and community development across County Cavan. He stated that between now and the end of 2027, €4.8 million LEADER grant aid will be invested in community, environmental/climate action and enterprise projects throughout the county.

Through LEADER, CCLD will support sustainable development and strive to maximise funding opportunities for communities by working in close cooperation with the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and Cavan County Council.

Elaine Halpin, LEADER Programme Manager, CCLD, went on to say that in preparation for this programme, CCLD engaged in an extensive consultation process, resulting in a plan with a set of objectives that are reflective of the expressed needs of communities and businesses in the county. In line with the “bottom-up” approach of LEADER, grant aid will align with objectives that reflect the key challenges facing county Cavan to include social inclusion, sustainable development, enterprise support and a specific emphasis on addressing climate change. The objectives cover the key areas in need of the greatest support and are sufficiently broad and flexible to facilitate funding a wide range of projects.

John Donohoe, Chief Officer, Cavan LAG & Cavan County Council confirmed that €1.92 m in grant aid will be available for the enterprise and social enterprise sectors. A further €2.88M in grant aid will be allocated to community groups for a broad range of projects to include refurbishment of community buildings, social outdoor spaces and projects that address climate change as well as protect and enhance our county’s environment.

The 2023-2027 LEADER Programme will also include a strong focus on areas and communities that have not previously benefitted from LEADER. CCLD staff will support these communities in accessing funding and building their social capital. A series of public information events have been organised to provide the community with information on the LEADER application process, which commences at 7pm on Tuesday 30 April, in the Realtóg Centre, Kilnaleck. A82 V9W7 (see separate advert in Anglo-Celt with full details of all 5 public information events) For details on Cavan LEADER and how to apply visit www.ccld.ie/cavan-leader-programme.

Published: