ALL NEW COMMUNITY AWARDS LAUNCHED

THE countdown is on to the all new Kerry Community Awards which will make a welcome return in 2017 and entry forms will be available in the coming weeks.

First started in 2004 when Rathmore Social Action Group collected the overall award, Kerry Community Awards has distributed over €350,000 to local community groups down through the years. There were 11 deserving annual winners – and countless category winners – before the awards took a wellearned break in 2014.

Now they’re back, more vibrant than ever, and the initiative was launched in The Dromhall Hotel on Thursday afternoon where Kerry Community Awards Chairman Sean Quinlan launched the new awards and welcomed incoming secretary Helena Switzer of Kerry County Council’s (KCC) Community Department.

He also thanked sponsors and patrons in the commercial and semi-State sector, as well as Kerry County Council, Southern Marketing Design Media and The Kerryman who collectively founded the awards and remain a driving force behind the event.

“We will be holding our community awards in April 2017 in The Dromhall Hotel to once again recognise and honour the Trojan work done by volunteers to improve the welfare of communities all too often with little or no funding,” Mr Quinlan said.

“These community workers and carers are among our greatest national treasures who bring hope, stability and confidence for the future,” he added.

Also speaking at the launch was Bill Morrell of the Kerry Public Participation Network who praised the work of all involved in relaunching the initiative and Kerryman Editor Kevin Hughes who acknowledged the influence of Siobhan Griffin of KCC in developing a successful community awards brand.

The 2017 awards will bring in a few changes and the application form will mirror that – for instance, entrants won’t have to select a category in which to be entered – but the ethos remains the same, putting communities first.

Good luck to all involved.

PREVIOUS KERRY COMMUNITY AWARDS WINNERS:

2004: Rathmore Social Action GRouo 2005: Sneem Resource Centre 2006: Kerry Hospice Foundation 2007: Kerry Geopark 2008: Tralee Community Development Project 2009: Sean Chairde 2010: Kerry Flyer 2011: KDYS Volunteer Mentoring Programme 2012: Castleisland Family Rsource Centre -SVP 2013: Recovery Haven 2014: Féile na Bealtaine

Michelle Cooper Galvin Photo by Launching the Kerry Community Awards 2017 were Sean Quinlan Chairman Kerry Community Awards, Ruth O’Connell Kerry County Council, Siobhan Griiffin Kerry Public Participation Network, Helen Switzer Community Department Kerry County Council (second row...