Two Care and Repair Projects Benefit from Community Recognition Funding
Wicklow County Council is delighted to announce that funding received under the Community Recognition Fund 2024 has been used to provide two vehicles each for two Care and Repair projects in the county; one run by the County Wicklow Partnership and the other by the Bray and North Wicklow Area Partnership. The provision of dedicated vehicles funded through the Community Recognition Fund is a significant step; enabling additional supports such as transport for medical appointments and prescription collection, ensuring that even the most isolated residents in rural Wicklow are not forgotten, but seen, supported, and reached.
County Wicklow Partnership’s Helping Hands Care and Repair Project, while in its infancy, is becoming an important asset in the local community and facilitates older people being able to have small repairs carried out and transport needs facilitated, where public transport may not be an option, such as for medical appointments. The acquisition of the car and the van are already proving invaluable in providing assistance to older people in the area.
Bray & North Wicklow Area Partnership’s Care and Repair Project has proved very successful over the past five years in providing much needed small repairs to older adults in the community. The vehicles will allow the team members to provide an enhanced service now that their vans are in action. The new vehicles purchased with the grants received enable the CARA social enterprise service provide enhanced support to older people living in Bray and North Wicklow area communities.
Commenting on the projects, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Melanie Corrigan stated that, “What makes this initiative so special is that it goes beyond repairs. It is built on dignity, security, and trust. It recognises that social connection is just as important as practical support, and that a friendly face at the door can mean as much as the work itself.”
Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’Gorman welcomed both initiatives stating that, “These projects are both truly valuable social inclusion initiatives that support older and vulnerable people to live safely, independently, and with dignity in their own homes.”
Director of Services, Wicklow County Council, Michael Nicholson commented that, “The service offers a friendly, reliable solution for small but essential home maintenance tasks that are often too minor for professional tradespeople but critical for safety and wellbeing.”
Department of Social Protection funding enables the provision of personnel for the projects via the Rural Social Scheme for County Wicklow Partnership and the Community Employment Scheme and TÚS for Bray & North Wicklow Partnership.