Irish TV recently reported on the first community that People and Places’ has worked with in Ireland. The ten minute long profile broadcast at the beginning of July found out what makes the town tick by visiting local businesses, a theatre-based community enterprise, the local hurling club and the town’s development company.
The film gives a great insight in to the town and how Ballinasloe Area Development Company is working with businesses and community partners to give the town a boost. The programme shows how the development company has led the conversion of derelict hospital buildings in to a thriving enterprise centre and launched a successful monthly magazine distributed to 6,000 local residents. It is the development company that has appointed People and Places to help develop a town team that will lead the charge to revitalise the town.
Speaking on the programme, People and Places Director Chris Wade explains how survey work has helped reveal the wealth and variety of the businesses in the town and the opportunity to promote them collectively as part of a Ballinasloe ‘department store’.
People and Places are now working closely with the Development Company and Galway County Council to prepare an action plan for the town to deliver ‘quick-win projects’, shape the long-term future of the town and apply for 150,000 Euros of pump-priming funds.
