Great turnout for Laois Partnership open day

AS THE SUN shone down on Rathdowney recently, members of Laois Partnership Company made the local Clochar Centre their home for this year’s open-day roadshow.

Organised as part of Local Development Week, the well-attended event was an opportunity to inform the public about the services LPC provides, which include social inclusion (SICAP), rural development (LEADER programme), work placement, childcare services, social prescribing, Community Link, Laois Services to Elderly People (LSTEP), social enterprise, and climate action.

Besides information tables staffed by members of the various LPC departments, Rathdowney Men’s Shed kept the crowd entertained and the toes tapping with live music, finishing off with a rousing version of ***Eileen Óg***.

LPC chief executive Caroline Lydon said: “Local Development Week is a national event to bring attention to and promote the work done by the 49 local development companies across the country. Laois Partnership Company is proud to be the local development company for Laois and is keen to build on its long history of working with communities to enhance their locality. We do this in a variety of ways through several key programmes, and the projects we have achieved in Rathdowney along with the community are a testament to the commitment and spirit of co-operation of everyone involved.” Rathdowney is one of the many areas across the county where Laois Partnership Company has worked hand in hand with community groups to improve the quality of life for all. Among the initiatives delivered or supported by the company in Rathdowney are the community garden, the Baby & Me parent and toddler group, Fáilte Isteach English classes, men’s and women’s shed groups, and many more.

For more information, phone 057 8661900, email info@laoispartnership.ie, or visit www.laoispartnership.ie. You can also sign up for the monthly newsletter on the website, which will keep you informed of all the latest developments in your area.