19-01-2002

Major grant for Mountmellick childcare centre

A planned new Mountmellick childcare centre has just been allocated a grant of EURO 1,405,782. The grant under the Equal Opportunities Childcare programme is funded by the government and the European Union as part of the National development Plan. The project will be launched on Friday Afternoon 18-Jan-02.

Spearheaded by members of Mountmellick Community Childcare Ltd., which consists of the Development Association, and representatives of the Midland Health Board, the initiative attracted one of the biggest grants from the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme.

Mountmellick Community Childcare Project will cater for up to 70 children ranging in ages from six weeks to eleven years and will be located at Mountmellick Development Association Business Park. It will be staffed by a manager, an administrator and eleven trained childcare workers. Planning permission has been granted and tenders for the building work have been sought. It is hoped that the construction will be finished by the end of the year and the centre will be opened by the beginning of next year. M.D.A. manager Jim O’Brien said the venture would be one of five employer demonstration projects in the country. Both the M.D.A. and the Midland Health Board had Identified the need for affordable, quality childcare facilities to help attract staff and worked together to plan the centre.

"We’re delighted with the grant. We started out with a much smaller proposal but as time went on and the possibility of being a pilot Employer Demonstration Project surfaced, we expanded our plans. The fact that we owned the site and had local expertise in project promotion also helped," stated Mr O’Brien.

The M.D.A. manager said that it was one of the few rural based childcare projects in the country. "It is significant for Laois as it is a model of how communities and employers can work together in the creation of good quality childcare."

Mr O’Brien said the centre would be developed to the highest practices and standards in childcare and would be available to all in the community.

Members of the board are:

• John-Joe Dunne (M.D.A.)
• Liam O’Callaghan (MHB)
• Catherine O’Keefe (MHB)
• Kate Brickley (MHB)
• Jimmy Todd (MHB)
• Bridie Dunne (M.D.A.)
• Paul Dempsey (MHB)
• Liam Dempsey (M.D.A.)

Mountmellick based deputy John Moloney congratulated the M.D.A. on its expertise in putting together the successful application. "The facility will be advantageous to working parents in the Mountmellick catchment area. The size of the allocation reflects the expertise and commitment of those involved."

Thanking Justice Minister John O’Donoghue who made the announcement, he expressed the hope that the Minister would accept his invitation to visit Mountmellick in the very near future.

Mountmellick youth theatre to kick off.

LAOIS Youth Theatre are calling on young people between the ages of 13-18 to enrol for a new term of the Mountmellick Youth Theatre Group.

The initiative offers a great opportunity to discover or develop drama potential in an interesting and fun way. Workshops are to take place in the Owenass Hall, Mountmellick on Saturdays from 11am – 1pm.

As well as the weekly workshops, members will have the opportunity to meet with other Youth Theatre groups countrywide through exchanges and festivals.

The co-ordinator of the Mountmellick Youth Theatre Group is Helen Cullen, who has worked very successfully with Laois Youth Theatre for a number of years.