Minister opens facilities in Shercock and Kingscourt
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, joined Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council as she officially opened two community facilities in Shercock and Kingscourt on Tuesday, December 17.
Minister Humphreys, who recently stood down as a TD, opting not to run in November’s general election, visited east Cavan last week in one of her final acts as Minister to unveil two facilities that were funded under the Community Recognition Fund 2023.
The first facility to be opened on the day was an upgrade at Shercock athletics track. The works undertaken comprised of an upgrade of the toilets to include a wheelchair accessible toilet, and a lighting and cleaning upgrade to the track, all of which contribute to improved accessibility and inclusivity in this community facility. These works were made possible through a grant of €39,637 from the Department of Rural and Community under the Community Recognition Fund 2023.
Minister Humphreys also visited Kingscourt on Tuesday afternoon, where she unveiled a new training facility at Kingscourt Railway. Minister Humphreys’ department allocated €115,000 in funding – supplemented by match funding from Kingscourt Development Association – to fund upgrade works to the Railway Station to transform the interior into a classroom type facility which will be used widely for training facilities.
Speaking at the opening, Minister Humphreys said: “I am always delighted to visit County Cavan to see at first hand the projects funded by my Department of Rural and Community Development and the transformative effect this projects have on their communities. These community and regeneration projects facilitate a variety of civic, social and community uses which plays a vital role in bringing life back to our communities, preserving what is wonderful about Irish culture and contributing to continual improvements in people’s lives in our towns and villages making the vision of Our Rural Future a reality.
“I congratulate everyone involved in these projects – the local community groups and sporting organisations, the contractors and Cavan County Council who through their collaboration have delivered fantastic facilities and brought their vision to reality,” added Minister Humphreys.
Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr T.P. O’Reilly said: “These two wonderful additions to the community infrastructure in Shercock and Kingscourt, are further testament to the tremendous legacy of Heather Humphreys’ political career. As with so many projects, these upgrades to facilities will make significant improvements to the lives of local communities that use them. It is a story that has been repeated many times over the course of Minister Humphreys’ career.”
The Community Recognition Fund was designed to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities for the entire community in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries.
Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Eoin Doyle added: “These welcome investments in making the running track at Shercock more accessible and adding a dedicated training facility at Kingscourt Railway Station are further evidence of the excellent working relationship that exists between Cavan County Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development, which under the leadership of Minister Humphreys, has yielded wonderful results for the people of Cavan.
“I wish to once again thank Minister Humphreys for her work on behalf of the people of Cavan and look forward to continuing to work with her dedicated Department officials, our own councillors, and Oireachtas members, to continue the excellent progress in community development we have made in recent years.”