Funding made available to target vacant and derelict houses Festival based on nature, creativity and heritage

A FeSTIvAL based on nature, creativity and heritage is due to take place in Cooley, Co Louth over the August bank holiday and heritage week which is running from August 12-20.

The Cooley Connect Well voluntary group are running the festival to promote wellness through connecting communities and people.

According to one of the festival organisers, Clodagh McGreehan, last year’s event was the first ever and it comprised of 11 events over eight days.

“This year’s festival is about community connection and aims to connect people across the generations,” said Clodagh.

“There will be different walks and open days. The gatherings will be small. At most there will be 15 people on the walks.

“There might be 15 to 20 people at the gardens’ events. There will be basket making workshops; we found a wonderful basket maker who is facilitating three workshops.”

Clodagh added: “The basket maker will possible host more due to demand. We have had good support from people in relation to the festival.

“People are not charg- ing what they normally charge; just a small bit so it’s subsidised. A lot of the events are free.

“We want to do more community engagement. The theme for the festival this year is living heritage which is the same theme for heritage week.”

This year, the number of events taking place has doubled so there is an extensive programme of activities. The aim is to increase the participation of local people as well as people visiting the area during the month of August.

The organisers are grateful to have the support of a small grant from the tourism department of Louth

County Council. The grant has helped to cover insurance and help subsidise some events as well as voluntary contributions from many people.

Six events will be run over the August bank holiday and 16 during heritage week from August 12-20.

The theme of the

August bank holiday is Wells of Connection and it is being promoted as a wellbeing weekend. During Heritage Week from August 12-20, the theme of the week is Hooley Booley Cooley and it is a celebration of living heritage, and the traditions of booleying and living and walking on the mountains.

Go green with help from lEO louth

“The Green for Micro programme has been extended and is now available to companies of up to 50 employees” declares Grainne Mckeown of Local enterprise Office Louth. “This opens it up to a whole new range of local companies who can now access this really valuable free support.”

An initiative of the Local enterprise Offices, Green for Micro was launched back in 2021 to support companies in becoming more sustainable, reducing waste, improving efficiency and minimising their carbon footprint. It was originally open to companies of up to 10 employees, but owing to the programme’s success, it has now been extended to companies of up to

50 employees and includes the manufacturing and hospitality sectors.

“Taking part in Green for Micro is free of charge for Louth businesses. The programme gives local companies access to an industry expert on a one-to-one basis, to help design and implement a sustainability plan tailored to each individual company. Working with the green consultant shows business owners, across a variety of sectors, that small changes can have a big impact on the company and the environment” Grainne continues.

And the good news goes on. Grainne explains “Companies that complete Green for Micro, may also be eligible for our new energy ef- ficiency Grant. This scheme aims to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment, thereby increasing the agility and resilience of these businesses. Funding can assist with costs such as installation of energy meters, smart energy controls, lighting upgrades, replacement or upgrade of manufacturing, production or engineering equipment with more energy efficient systems, heat recovery, small wind or hydro installations etc. The grant supports investment in technologies and equipment identified in the Green for Micro process (or GreenStart report or SeAI energy Audit) with 50% of eligible costs, up to a maximum grant of €5,000.”

Grainne concludes “The team at the Local enterprise Office Louth are committed to helping local businesses to go green, reduce their carbon footprint and drive efficiency. Call us on 042 9335457 or visit www.localenterprise.ie/ Louth/Financial-Supports/ Green-for-Micro to discover more about Green for Micro and to submit your application.”

The Local enterprise Office (LeO) is a governmentfunded organization dedicated to providing support and resources to small and medium-sized enterprises across Ireland. LeO Louth offers a wide range of services including business advice, training, mentoring, and financial assistance to help businesses start, grow, and succeed.