Fingal Communities and Council honoured at Pride of Place Awards
Fingal County Council’s dedication to community engagement was recognised along with representatives from the Fingal community when they achieved three awards at the 2024 IPB Pride of Place Awards in Monaghan on Saturday. The gala awards ceremony was proudly hosted by Monaghan County Council on 2nd November, in the Hillgrove Hotel.
IPB Pride of Place in association with Co-operation Ireland is an all-island competition that rewards the best in community development and acknowledges the work that communities are doing all over the island of Ireland.Lusk Community were winners in their community category, receiving first place in the Population over 5000 category. The judges commented: “A beautiful cultural centre, a great tradition of pipe bands, thriving sports clubs, fantastic heritage awareness and a commitment to climate change were stand outs, but what distinguishes this town is its strong sense of community, volunteerism and vibrant spirit. The overarching group is certainly an exemplar for other areas and proves what can be achieved by collaboration, inclusion, town planning and the integration of sporting facilities with school infrastructure. Vision and passion were evident and will undoubtedly have a long-term legacy for the future.”
Fingal County Council is proud of its long-standing track record of community development practices which have been commended through achieving over 20 winning community group awards over the last two decades alongside community volunteers from across the county. The award for Community engagement 2024 reflects the Council’s ongoing commitment to fostering and supporting community development. Deputy Chief Executive of Fingal Ethna Felton was present to receive the award alongside members of the Community Office team and the representatives of the nominated groups they collaborated with.
Castleknock Community Centre received a runner-up award for the Inclusive Communities category. The centre acts as a hub for inclusivity locally facilitating the work undertaken by local groups such as Muslim Women Together, Spina Bifida Ireland support group and the various active age projects based in the Centre. Sustainable Skerries also represented Fingal at the awards in the Climate Action & Biodiversity category, showcasing the many community environmental and biodiversity projects this voluntary group has developed in the town of Skerries, many in partnership with Fingal County Council.
Mayor of Fingal Cllr Brian McDonagh congratulated the winners saying: “This was a very important win for Fingal County Council because supporting the community is key to all the work the council does every day and the role played by volunteers in all this is crucial. Well done to the community of Lusk and Castleknock Community Centre for picking up awards on the night and to Sustainable Skerries for representing Fingal in the climate action and biodiversity category.
In particular, I want to commend the Community Development Office of Fingal who were awarded the 2024 Community Engagement Award for their excellent work in supporting and empowering communities across the County and also in supporting and preparing groups to represent Fingal in the Pride of Place Awards, the All-Ireland finals of community development on this island over the years. As we say, as Gaeilge, ní neart go cur le chéile.”
Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “I want to congratulate Lusk, Castleknock and Skerries who represented Fingal at the IPB Pride of Place Finals held in Monaghan at the weekend. I was very proud that Fingal’s Community Development Department won the overall Community Engagement award for its approach and expertise in community development. Pride of Place recognises the best in community development on the island of Ireland, north and south. The community of Lusk won in the Populations over 5000 category, Castleknock Community Centre and Laurel Lodge were runners up in the Inclusive Communities category, Sustainable Skerries was also represented in the Climate Action category, highlighting the excellent synergies being developed across the county by our Community Development Team and the various community and voluntary groups. Well done to all involved. A special thanks to our own Community Development Office and Pride of Place Liaison Officer who work hard each year in supporting communities in Pride of Place.“
Sponsored by IPB Insurance, the Pride of Place competition recognises volunteers and those involved in local community development.
Over 22 years It has grown into the largest competition recognising community development achievements on the island of Ireland and is commonly referred to as “Oscars for the Communities”.
Captions:
- Image 1: Fingal County Council staff with representatives from Lusk Community, Castleknock Community Centre and Sustainable Skerries
- Image 2: Representatives from Castleknock Community Centre
- Image 3: Representatives from Lusk Community