Community enterprise in Offaly showcased as five-year plan unveiled

EIGHTEEN community groups and social enterprises were showcased on Tuesday evening in Mucklagh Community Centre.

The groups, which ranged widely from the Tullamore Show, the Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, and Kilcormac Development Association, on to Homefix, Green Offaly, Pullough Community Shop and much more, were all represented at the launch of a five-year strategic plan for the Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC).

The 18 social enterprises themselves are also now registered with a newly instituted county-wide body, the Social Enterprise Network.

OLDC, which aims to promote and support social, enterprise and community development, along with rural and urban regeneration, was formed in 2008 when Offaly LEADER, Tullamore Wider Options, West Offaly Partnership and the Offaly section of the OAK (Offaly and Kildare) Partnership amalgamated.

OLDC chair Tom Finnerty said the strategic plan creates a roadmap for OLDC's work. “And it brings a focus in supporting communities and individuals here in Offaly,” said Mr Finnerty.

He said Offaly has just had challenging times and cautioned those will continue with the decline of the peat industry and the traditional forms of electricity generation.

However, he was optimistic about the future, saying Offaly had fabulous people and fantastic communities, citing the host organisation for the evening, Mucklagh Community Development, as an example.

“I believe that communities here in Offaly are very strong and determined and will generate solutions to all these challenges.”

Sarah Kennedy, from the social enterprise section of the OLDC, said the Social Enterprise Network had “evolved organically over the last three or four years after beginning over cups of tea” among community groups.

Ms Kennedy said: “Over time very much collective collaboration happened naturally and this was even more evident during the Covid year, a time when... all our worlds got turned upside down and for many of the social enterprises here the bottom fell out of the business plan.

“Together we realised we could achieve so much more than just on an individual basis.”

She suggested the network will expand: “We hope to grow this substantially, there's a great appetite for social enterprise at the minute and communities are really coming back with their own solutions.”

The 18 social enterprises were each presented with a memorial plaque by Maura Allen, OLDC secretary and long-time Tidy Towns activist in Clonbullogue. Each one mounted a stand demonstrating the services they provide and their ambitions for the future.

The enterprises were present - Mucklagh Community Centre, Birr Theatre, Ballycommon Training and Tele Network Centre, Kilcormac Development Association, Homefix, Pullough Community Shop, Tullamore Show, St Mary's Youth Centre, Birr Leisure Centre, Green Offaly, Ballycumber BLC, Mid-Offaly Housing, Offaly Healthy Homes, Paddle Together, Clara Resource Shop, West Offaly Training, Clara Swimming Pool and Moneygall Development Association.

According to the five-year plan, OLDC's mission is to provide a flexible, inclusive, supportive and innovative range of programmes and services to communities, businesses and individuals in the county.

Its vision is to be “the collaborator of choice” for other organisations and agencies and it lists its values as respect, people-centredness, inclusion, responsiveness and professionalism.

The five-year plan has seven goals. First, to continue to be an important contributor to the creation of a high quality of life for Offaly people. Second, OLDC will actively seek to combat social exclusion. Another goal is that OLDC will be a leading organisation in the just transition to a low-carbon society.

Further, OLDC will seek to broaden its activity base and a fifth objective is to ensure its work is recognised, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The final two goals are that OLDC puts proper governance structures in place and that it will continue to nurture and support its workforce.

Brendan O'Loughlin, chief executive of the OLDC, pledged the organisation's support to the entire Offaly community.

“I've been working in Offaly for 30 years now, and I've watched some of these projects be little thoughts in somebody's heads, and they've grown and developed, and now they employ 15, 20 people where they sustain and provide vital service.”

A video featuring OLDC representatives and people involved in the social enterprises was played and individual videos promoting each group have also been produced.