Roscommon Community Forum
The strength of the community sector in Roscommon is obvious from the establishing of the North and South Roscommon Community Fora. Today two thriving community fora North Roscommon Community Forum (NRCF) and South Roscommon Community Forum (SRCF) play a strong role in community development in the county enabling networking and collaboration between various bodies and the Forum and the groups and organisations it represents.
Forum representatives sit on the Roscommon County Development Board, Strategic Policy Committees and Social Inclusion Measures Working Group of Roscommon County Council. Their presence on these bodies facilitates two-way communication between the community and local government by bringing the views of the community organisations to local government and by feeding back relevant information to the member groups of the Forum.
Who do the Community Fora represent?
Community fora represent voluntary and community groups throughout the county. Groups come together in order to share knowledge and experiences, promote development and growth, and, very importantly, provide a strong, independent, united voice for the community.
Groups already participating in the North and South Community Fora include community development associations, tidy towns groups, community centres, heritage groups and rural tourism groups.
What do the Community Fora do?
- Source funding and supports for your project.
- Give hands-on assistance.
- Give professional support and information to assist your group.
- Give your group an opportunity to meet with Community and voluntary organisations throughout the county to share ideas and experience.
- Act as a voice and lobby on behalf of the Community and voluntary sector at a county level.
- Provide a mechanism for the voluntary and community fora to be represented on the RCDB, the Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) and other structures.
- Establish networks with other community fora throughout the country.
- Organise training and workshops to help your group in their work.
Postal Address
Abbeytown (beside the Railway Station,)
Roscommon
Co. Roscommon.
Mobile 087 9954993
Email info@rosforum.ie
Contact person: Howard Preston
www.nrcf.ie
Pride of Place
Pride of Place is about the celebration of community group contribution to local society and the creation of civic pride through communities working together. Communities in Roscommon have participated in the County Roscommon Pride of Place Competition for a number of years. Category winners are nominated by Roscommon County Council to the All Island Pride of Place Competition organized by Co-operation Ireland.
Groups are nominated from the following categories:
- Population under 200
- Population between 200 - 500
- Population between 3500 - 1000
- Population between 1000 - 2000
- Population over 2000
Community and Amenity Fund
As part of our commitment to supporting local development, Roscommon County Council manages a Community and Amenity Fund. This Fund is available as grant aid to community groups and voluntary organisations wishing to undertake capital amenity projects in their local area for open, public use which will:
- enhance the quality of life of local communities
- promote social inclusion
- increase economic activity, and/or
- in some way add to self-sustainability in the local area.
Tidy Towns
The national Tidy Towns competition is an annual competition organised by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with the support of the main sponsor SuperValu and many other agencies.
The competition involves participating areas being rated on all aspects of their local environment and prizes awarded to the best under many different categories. The overall winner is "Ireland's Tidiest Town" which is announced at a national ceremony in September each year.
www.tidytowns.ie