Ballinasloe Area Community Development received a welcome boost from the Government this afternoon with the news of funding for the commencement of it's Town Benchmarking Action Plan; with €60,500 from the REDZ Pilot Scheme.

​The Area Development Company set up the Town Action Team after last summer's pivotal Benchmarking Report by Chris Wade's UK based - "People and Places Partnership" Consultancy group. The Town Team - supported by the Ballinasloe Credit Union and Galway County Council have been working on the REDZ application plan and the Action Plan for over 12 months now and were thrilled when Minister Ann Phelan came to the AGM of the Company in Spring of this year to be appraised on the work and plans.

Ballinasloe was the best funded application in all of the six applicants from County Galway.

Town Team Facilitator Jacinta Divilly stated "This is huge boost not alone to the projects, we as a wider community have prioritised for investment but also for the strategic way in which we have gone about realising a new vision for our future and economic well being. I am so happy for the voluntary members of the team who given a huge amount of hours into this process that now have the resources and endorsement of the State - that this is the new way forward."

B.A.C.D. Chair, Seamus Duffy in welcoming the announcement wished to thank publicly the Manager and team of the Development Company - Mrs. Lyn Donnelly for the huge effort she had invested in the compilation and launch of the Benchmarking Action Plan and the official application. "We as an organisation have been quietly working in partnership with those who have the ability and interest to help in the background - in selling the positives of a vibrant and resilient community that is not without our challenges but we have a route map to over come them."

"We have a series of short, medium and longterm priorities which this funding will allow us to advance more quickly with and we are grateful to Minister Phelan and indeed Alan Kelly in backing our ideas and vision for how we can move towards a more vibrant locale for all of our citizens and visitors alike."

Minister Phelan added, "I am absolutely dfelighted to announce the funding allocations for the REDZ pilot scheme today. The quality of the applications and level of interest in the pilot scheme was such that I have made additional funding available so that each qualifying project will be offered at least 50% of the funding they applied for. I am happy to announce that 26 pilot projects, rather than the original 18, on a regional basis and at different levels of scale will receive 100% of the funding applied for and the 25 remaining projects that qualified will be offered 50% of the funding applied for. I have no doubt, that these projects will make a real difference in the lives of many rural communities.

The Minister concluded "I am confident that these resources couples with the €30 million for the rural towns and villages renewal scheme announced yesterday are just the beginning of a process of rural renewal regeneration and I look forward to hearing about the visiting many of the projects as the come to fruition."

The current goals of the town team’s work are, in summary;

• A livelier and surprising local town that draws in people to socialise and spend more often, including distinctive comparison retail offer.
• An activity town - ready to achieve now if activities are organised as market has cash but is less discerning for food and drink.
• A heritage town - dependent on town and building enhancements, more heritage attractions open in town and surrounding area and greater variety of higher quality hospitality. Distinctive comparison retail part of offer too.
• Their immediate priority is to make Ballinasloe into a better local town, including widening its appeal to families and young people - the town’s future customers who are readily drawn elsewhere. This involves improving the town centre experience, retail offer, local services and events. The belief is that if they get this right, the benefits in terms of spend, jobs and wider wellbeing will follow.

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Balinasloe Town Team: Val Colleran, Colm Croffy, Jacinta Divilly, Lyn Donnelly, Aidan Donohue, Seamus Duffy, Tara Galvin, Carmel Grealy, Paula Harley, Kate Murray, Mike O’Brien, Pádraig Ó Ceithearnaigh & Ger Tully
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GALWAY County REDZ Allocations Announced 29th Sept 2015              
Galway -   Ballinasloe        €60,500
Galway -   Gort                    €47,000
Galway -   Tuam                  €25,000
Galway -   Carraroe            €25,000
Galway -   Glenamaddy    €25,000
Galway -   Oranmore         €25,000

Click on the following link to read more about People and Places and their work with the Town Team: ​​
​http://people-places.co.uk/town-talent-spotting-and-the-f-factors/

Click here to read and review the Town Action Plan: http://www.ballinasloe.ie/uploads/4/3/1/7/43175431/appendix_2__town_benchmarking_action_plan__2_.pdf

Click on the following link to view the full Adjudication Report for Ballinasloe in the Tidy Towns Competition 2015. Ballinasloe have gone up a total of 5 marks since 2014!  http://www.tidytowns.ie/u_reports/2015/2015%20County%20Galway%20Ballinasloe%20190.pdf

The Ballinasloe Golf Club has contributed almost 3,000 euro to local charities in the past six weeks as well as being the fundraising vehicle for other local charities and sports clubs.

Over the past five years more than 12,000 euro has been raised by golfers as part of their community contribution. In addition, the local Special Olympics Club, Ballinasloe Eagles have used the club's facilities for training purposes on a weekly basis, generously assisted by club members.

Each year, the club makes the course available to three charities who then run a fundraising competition. This year, Social Services, Care & Repair and the Lions Club all benefited from their Bank Holiday slots.

Recently, the Credit Union sponsored a mini Open Week which incorporated involvement of the local schools and the Active Retirement Association Group. The week was a fantastic success and culminated with a barbecue. Forty ARA members participated in a session where basic golf skills were demonstrated. The golf club would like to see their amenities being utilised in similar ways. 

The club held a junior camp over three days in the summer where 36 young boys and girls participated. Michael Mulryan, professional golfer, not only thought the children the basics of golf but also vital motor skills for any sport including coordination, balance and rhythm. The Ballinasloe Golf Club hopes that the participants of the camp will continue to play golf with the club.

In the past, junior members have developed into players representing their province and country. At the other end of the age scale, in excess of fifty golfers' aged over 55 and some over the age of 80, play every Wednesday in a highly popular senior's day.

​Each spring, the club runs beginner sessions for Ladies and Gents- perhaps 2016 might be your year! The Ballinasloe Golf Club welcomes all golfers, beginners or advanced, to their top-class amenities.

​Are you over 18, out of work and love football? Would you like to take part in a course which could see you achieving education awards along with football coaching awards? Are you interested in coaching in your local community? If so, then Project FUTSAL, a football centred education initiative beginning in October in Ballinasloe could be for you.

The FAI in cooperation with the Galway and Roscommon Education & Training Board have teamed up to provide a unique opportunity for people who are unemployed and out of formal education to get involved in an innovation project designed to help them back into the workforce or onto further education.

Project FUTSAL is an initiative with the aim of utilising football to provide education and work opportunities for people of all ages. The project centres around the development of an Education hub which provides an academic year of adult education, personal development, football coaching, education and work/volunteer placements. Participants will study for a QQAI level 4 award in Sport & Recreation as well as a range of FAI certified coach education courses and take the first steps on the path to a career in sports development. 

Places on the programme are open to both men and women and will be offered up to twenty participants. There is no upper age limit. While it's not essential to be able to play football to participate on the course, an interest in the game or sport in general would be an advantage due to extensice programme of football activity on each course.

The course is free of charge and participants may be entitled to financial supports from the Department of Social Protection while on the programme.

FAI Regional Development Officer John Morris Burke said, "Project FUTSAL is an innovative partnership spearheaded by the FAI and has produced excellent outcomes for many participants for a number of years now. Almost 60% os people completing the course progress to employment and many find their way to third level education via this alternative sports based route. The delivery of a comprehensive coach education programme is also providing a pool of newly qualified coaches in these areas and has broadened the base of volunteers available to help local sports clubs."

The course begins in October and applications for places are being accepted now. Closing date for applications is September 21st 2015.

For further information and to apply online, visit the website at www.projectfutsal.ie or contact Dónal Walsh GRETB on 091 796267. Also, check out their Facebook page ​https://www.facebook.com/fai.projectfutsal.com

​Great news for all towns in Galway (Ballinasloe included! ;-) Motion passed at a meeting of Galway County Council on the 28th September 2015 - as of 1st January 2016, all towns in Galway will give motorists 2 hour free parking for the duration of the day.

Very welcome initiative! This will hopefully increase footfall to our shops and businesses in the town. 

More information to follow! 

The Moore History Group present the Premiere of Mathers of Falty  By Ballinasoe born Author /Producer Xandra Kilduff in Moore Hall on Friday the 27th of November,also 28th and 29th at 8.pm.

The play based on the saga of the Mather's family of Falty House and covers the years 1852 to 1920 ,and features the famous cattle drives of Clonburren of 1916 .

With.a cast of over over 30 from a cross community company drawn from the History group,the Moore Drama group ,The Red Salamander Theatre Company ,the I.C.A ,Vintage group with local choirs and musicians and several of the cast playing the parts of their ancestors who lived through this era,the project is now in full rehearsal .

Big news from Ballinasloe Cycling Club.  They have someone starting to help out who is going to help anyone shed the belly before Christmas. They will be doing new weekly cycles aiming at cardio. Saturdays or Sunday's, weight loss and exercises on and off the bike, bike skills stretching etc. 

These cycles will not be fast or long but will work on working out with the cardio side of it and the aim is to have you slimmer, fitter and looking great and healthy for Christmas. If you are interested in these cycles, keep aneye out on their Facebook Page 

Also Ballinasloe Cycling Club continues to do night cycling for the winter on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:30 pm from Barry's Cycles - please ensure you have good lights high viz and of course your helmet!

Residents, businesses and visitors to Ballinasloe want to feel better about the town and its future prospects and how it serves the wider area. In an online survey of local people conducted in summer 2014, only 18% of respondents had confidence that the town had a bright future. That’s not good enough for our town! This action plan is about building on the town’s many strengths, changing these perceptions and bringing about measurable improvements in the town centre economy and its wider social value.

Please see below for the full Action Plan. 

Result from Pearse Stadium Saturday Relegation final Ballinasloe 1-15 Clonbur 1-7.

​When these two met in the league a month ago on a very wet day in Clonbur it was Clonbur who won by 3pts, a different game yesterday, luck hadn't been on our side in the championship this year, losing 2 important championship games by 1 pt when in both games town were leading those games.

Lining out yesterday without Eoin Fenton (injured) and with Liam Lynch returning from Canada, after 2 and a half years abroad, on a perfect evening for game. Tension was in the air as both teams fought t out to retain their intermediate status. Ballinasloe were leading at half time 7pts to 3pts , but Clonbur raised their game in the 2nd half with 3 unanswered points.

As the game went on it could have gone either way. Town were reduced to 14 men when Liam Lynch was sent off for a challenge ,like many games before when town were down to 14 men the would lose all hope but yesterday was different ,it seemed to drive on Ballinasloe. Clonbur got a goal at 1 stage to leave 2 pts in it ,but town were not going to lose and when Billo's shot hit the back of the net it was game over.

The team that lined out Saturday to defeat Clonbur and keep Ballinasloe Intermediate for 2016 Paul Hickey,Colin Cotton,keith kelly,Danny Byrnes,Shane kenny,James Shaughnessy,Noel Cotton,Luke Tierney,Conor Barrett,Gary Canavan,Eoin McCormack,Ian Flecther,Paul Whelehan,Liam Lynch, Brian Shaughnessy,subs Niall Hynes,Darragh Burke,Simon Keller,others Jason Twohig,Darragh McCormack,Nathan king,Aaron Leonard,Michael O'Neill,Ciaran Smith,Eoin Fenton. Well done to all the panel and the Management team consisting of Sean Riddle,Cathal Coleman,John Mitchell ,Cathal Croffy ,Colm Riddle and medic Geoff Casey ,thanks to all those who travelled to Galway Saturday and throughout the year, to challenges, league matches and championship games.

​We still have 2 league games where we will play St Gabriels and Glenamaddy and could finish in top 3 in table to get promoted.

Visit Ballinasloe GAA Facebook page for updates!