This Saturday marks a very significant day for Kildorrery Community Development Ltd with the launch of their community plan.

Chairman David Myers, stresses that the plan which is entitled 'Kildorrery 2020 Vision' has been developed from the grass roots 'of the community, for the community’.

“In September 2013 we held a series of public meetings to discuss the challenges of living in the Kildorrery area. The outcome of these meeting resuled in over 200 issues and concerns being highlighted by the people of Kildorrery.”

Over a number of months, theses issues which were categorised into 9 sections were assigned to working groups consisting of up to 20 volunteers. The issues were discussed and further research was carried out with the statutory bodies and a number of other agencies.

“An example of this is the community owns a field near the village on the Fermoy Road and one of the suggestions from the public meeting was the need to create a village park with a safe walkway to accommodate young families and the elderly, together with a recreational area for the community. The working group with responsibility for this issue visited a number of village amenities including Glenroe, Adare and Lismore to investigate the issue further and the group returned with findings and suggestions to the steering committee, thus allowing works to proceed with regards to this amenity.”

Catherine O’Regan, secretary explains that some objectives take a little longer to achieve than others but that many of the goals have already been realised since the commencement of the planning process in 2013.

“In relation to the initial issues, the community has already achieved a list of thirteen outcomes, some of which include the establishment of a safety group, walking & cycling club, junior Foroige club, community radio working group, a community car park and defibrillator training courses.”

One of the most significant achievements in the village has been the development of the old creamery yard premises at the rear of the community office which also houses the Thatch & Thyme restaurant. The site, along with a piece of derelict land which was purchased by the community, has now been developed into a state of the art community car park which facilitates parking for church, school, GAA, funerals, restaurant and all community events.

The development has been funded by a bank loan and a donation from the parish. Cork County Council assisted with match funding via the Community Fund to accommodate the landscaping, lighting and tarmacing of the yard which was laid earlier this month. There was a large voluntary contribution received from the community towards this development in the form of professional advice, use of machinery and voluntary labour. The project represents a unique example of the fantastic community spirit within Kildorrery.

The launch is essentially where Kildorrery Community Development Ltd. presents the challenges back to the community in the form of a five-year business plan. The plan which is full of positive solutions will outline each of the challenges under the following headings issues, actions, tasks and outcomes. Representatives from Ballyhoura Development Ltd, Cork County Council and all the public representatives and stakeholders have been invited to attend along with representatives and members of the 38 organisations/clubs within the community.

David Myers says the plan 'represents the people wishes’.

“We as a Community Development organisation are serious about achieving the aims as set out by our community. 80% of what’s in the plan does not require funding. Instead it requires a voluntary input from the community. Kildorrery Community Development Ltd have met with a number of statutory bodies in relation to the issues outlined within the various sections of the plan. Examples include HSE, Muintir Na Tire, Irish Water, Irish Council of Social Housing, Garda Superintendent, Cork Childcare Committee and the National Roads Authority.”

Ironically, communication (and the lack of it) was one of the big issues to emerge from the September 2013 public meetings. A number of actions have since taken place to address this issue which include the publication of a monthly community newsletter, establishment of a general community text system and the development of a community Facebook page 'Kildorrery Community' all of which act as information platforms for the community.

The chairman stresses that it is vital that the community now fully engages with the plan to ensure the issues which were raised at the community meetings are fully addressed over the five year time frame.

"This plan provides our community with the best possible opportunity to achieve our goals and ensure that Kildorrery continues to be a vibrant community in which to live, work and grow old having all the necessary amenities and supports in place to provide for a good quality of life for ourselves and for future generations.

"Communities need to adopt a cohesive approach going forward in order to maximise resources and funding. This launch will be a celebration, the aim of which is to inspire.”

Kildorrery Community Development Limited wishes to invite all members of the community to come along and celebrate this milestone on Saturday night. This is a family event and provides an excellent opportunity to get a brief insight into positive 'vision' of the plan with a small number of relevant issues being presented on the evening. Refreshments will be served and a free raffle will also take place.

The launch of the community-driven Kildorrery 2020 Vision Plan takes place this Saturday, April 18th at 8.15pm in the community hall. The 2020 Vision booklet will be available on the night and will be distributed to households afterwards in addition to being available in the community office. The plan is headed up by Kildorrery Community Development Ltd., which consists of 16 directors who wish to sincerely thank all the volunteers who had an input in to the compilation of the plan. The plan has been facilitated by Ballyhoura Development Limited to whom the community are extremely grateful.

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