OVER €300,000 in funding will be made available to to Clare community centres and parish halls this winter to assist with the rising cost of energy bills.

The grant announced today by Minister Heather Humphreys will support Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, ICA Groups, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s Sheds, Women’s Sheds and more.

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed the announcement saying, “The rising costs in energy bills has been extremely concerning for every household and business.

“For community groups, such as community centres, parish halls, etc they rely on the work of volunteers but moreover, to keep the doors open, they rely on donations, fundraising and so on.

“With the rising cost of living, this stream of funding is already under strain but while income is precarious, bills are rising and the stress that this puts on voluntary groups is extreme.

“These community centres, parish halls, social clubs and so on are the lifeblood of rural Ireland and the importance of their existence in our small towns and villages cannot be understated.

“These grants will help support these groups with electricity bills, insurance costs or other overheads – but also groups can apply for funding to carry out small upgrade works and to purchase equipment to support their activities such as laptops, printers, lawnmowers, training equipment and so on.