‘Where in Wicklow’ secures €4,800 in innovation funding Ella wins all-island art competition
A PROJECT to help the public to access digital services at Wicklow County Council has been allocated €4,800 in Government funding.
The funding was announced last week by Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring and Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development Sean Canney under the Department’s Digital Innovation Programme. The programme provides funding for original and innovative local authority-led digital projects which benefit the community, allowing them to be piloted before they are scaled up or replicated elsewhere in the country.
The local project, Where in Wicklow, facilitates the public with access to existing, emerging and developing digital services being provided by Wicklow County Council via interactive touchscreen technology. It is hoped that it will be a focal point for the public to interact with local authority digital services, online supports and access information via the ‘Where in Wicklow’ Interactive Public Information Portal. The services referred to include planning applications and information, Census data, location of local facilities, recreational and tourist location and details, development plans and land zoning mapping, etc.
In total, funding of €246,294 for was announced for eight local authority-led digital initiatives under the Digital Innovation Programme.
Minister Ring said that the response to the latest call for applications under the programme was ‘particularly strong’ and that the submitted projects ‘bear testament to the level of creativity and innovation in Ireland’s communities’ and within local authorities.
Minister Canney said the Digital Innovation Programme is designed to support projects that can be used for the common good.
‘Wicklow County Council will be producing familiarisation videos that will assist people with learning difficulties, autism, physical disabilities or anxiety concerns before visiting their offices,’ said Minister Canney.
‘These videos will be available on the council’s website and will encourage and support the public to access local authority services.’
Minister of State Andrew Doyle has welcomed the funding and said the series of informative videos will help the public who accessibility arrangements for County Buildings and other Municipal District offices.
‘This “Wicklow Welcomes All – help to plan your visit” initiative will take users through different aspects involved in visiting County Buildings and the process of accessing different services and information face-to-face,’ said Minister Doyle. A TALENTED young Arklow artist travelled to Croke Park last Sunday to be crowned a winner in the All-Island Credit Union Art Competition.
Ella Kelly, representing Arklow Credit Union, was the overall winner of the seven years and under group thanks to her wonderfully colourful creation.
In addition, to Ella’s fantastic achievement, two other young artists secured runner-up spots in their highly-competitive categories.
Sofia Kennedy from Altura Credit Union took second place in the eight to ten years group, while William Nolan, representing Baltinglass Credit Union, also took second spot in the eight to ten years age group for artists with learning disabilities.
Just like Ella, both Sofia and William created eye-catching and thought-provoking artworks in response to this year’s theme, ‘The Force of Nature’. The theme inspired some deeply inspiring works among the 30,000 entries, ranging from A COMMUNITY recreation workshop will take place at 7 p.m. at the Druid’s Glen Hotel regarding plans for a greenway from Wicklow town to Greystones.
The community recreation workshop depictions of catastrophic weather events, ethereal images of humans interacting with nature and a stark portrait of a child overcome by litter and pollution.
In all, there were eleven awards up for grabs and the category winners made their way to Croke Park on Sunday, where they received their takes place on Thursday, February 28, as part of a feasibility study into the proposed greenway.
Wicklow County Council, Atkins Engineers and Tourism Developments International cash prizes from MC Marty Whelan at the gala prize-giving ceremony. In addition to the winners, there were 22 runner-up and merit awards handed out to young artists ranging in age from under sevens to over 18s.
This is the 35th year of the all-island art competition, which is run by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU). will be present to highlight the key aims of the greenway or coastal route.
The purpose of the event is to seek the views, opinions and feedback of the local community on the proposed development.