Year: 2015

Make sure you have your pesticides certification before 30th November

 

Those in the South Kerry area who work with or use pesticides are being encouraged to make sure they have undertaken a certified course before the end of November this year in order to be able to continue to do so. Under a new EU directive, only those with the correct certification will be able to purchase any form of undiluted pesticides after this date. Other non-certified customers will only be able to purchase a diluted form of pesticide from suppliers and suppliers who provide undiluted pesticides to non-certified customers after this date are likely to be committing and offence.

South Kerry Development Partnership is currently organising courses in the region for those who are interested in getting accredited. Up to 7 such courses are planned to take place in the Mid Kerry region alone over the coming months while many other courses will be organised in the other parts of the region. These courses are fully accredited and are open to any interested persons.

SKDP Manager Joseph McCrohan said that it is very important that farmers in particular in the region who use any form of pesticides on their farms, even if only on a very irregular basis, ensure they get their certificate on time. “Where a farmer uses a contractor to spray pesticides on the farm then they are covered under the new directive if they can prove the use of the contractor” Joseph said. “However, any other use of pesticides on a farm by an uncertified person could result in the farmer losing out on some farm payments” he added. Therefore, we would encourage anyone in the South Kerry region who feels they should have this certificate to contact us and register on time to do this course” Joseph concluded.

The course costs €150 with an additional cost for some protective clothing and the certificate issued has a life time validity. Those interested in registering for the course are asked to contact either Joseph McCrohan or John McCrohan in the SKDP offices in Cahersiveen on 066 9472724 or in Killorglin on 066 9761615 for full details.

People in South Kerry are showing strong interest in setting up new businesses if the large turnout at an information meeting on the topic last Thursday night in Killarney is anything to go by. The information meeting was organised by South Kerry Development Partnership’s Enterprise Officers and provided those attending with a range of information around starting up their own businesses. Guest speakers included SKDP CEO Noel Spillane who outlined the range of services the partnership can offer those starting up a business from enabling them access the back to work enterprise allowance to securing training through the Skillnets programme. “I am delighted to see so much interest in starting up businesses in the region and the important thing for people is to contact South Kerry Development Partnership in any of our four offices in order to ensure they can access all of the assistance that is available to them” Noel said.

Michael Kenneally of INTREO outlined the many opportunities that exist for those who are on social welfare to get support in developing their own businesses. “Like Noel, we would encourage people to make contact with us in order to get all of the information and support available” Michael said.

Aoife O’Reilly of South Kerry Skillnets, operated through SKDP, pointed out that in many instances, people who are unemployed can access accredited training for free. “Even if people already have businesses set up, they can avail of training at greatly reduced costs as members of Skillnets” Aoife pointed out. Again, she encouraged people to make contact with her for full details.

Lea Parker-Bond of Pigeon Media highlighted the importance of properly using social media as a key tool in promoting new business and more importantly, she highlighted how easy it actually is to effectively use these tools. “Using video in particular helps to encourage people to engage with your business and there are many free or very cheap software tools out there to enable people create their own video’s” Lea said.

SKDP Enterprise Officer Anne O’Riordan who organised the event said she was delighted with the turnout which exceeded expectations. “We hope that information meeting such as this will encourage people make that initial contact with us and both John McCrohan and myself are available to meet with people to help them take the first steps in starting up their own businesses” Anne said.

 

 

 

 

 

SKDP has this week issued a statement highlighting the major cuts that have been made to funding available under the new round of LEADER funding. They point out that the proposed budget cuts for Kerry are greater than 50% when compared to the previous programme and are calling on Community & Voluntary Groups, along with all other interested stakeholders, to have their voices heard in opposition to these proposed cuts.

For full details please click

A new conversational English language class – Failte Isteach – being run in Killarney through South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. in conjunction with Third Age has attracted a large number of people from many countries. The class is aimed at migrants who do not have English as their main language.

The Failte Isteach programme being run in Killarney was developed by the active retired group Third Age based in County Meath. They first began the initiative as a small project in the village of Summerhill in 2006 with the aim of helping those in the migrant communities in that area develop a confidence in speaking English as well as a means of helping encourage integration within the different communities. It has since spread around the country to other communities and is being implemented in the greater Killarney area by SKDP.

Community Development Manager Paul O’Raw described how the basis of the programme is the group of trained volunteer tutors who come in to work with the students attending. “We are lucky to have 7 trained tutors on the programme in Killarney at present and they are working with some 25 students who are attending the course” Paul said. He added that the course runs for circa 10 weeks and is for around 2 hours a week with the students having a book that will assist them developing their skills further during the course of the week.

“This initiative is part of the work being undertaken by SKDP under the new SCIAP programme which is aimed at encouraging integration between those who have come to live in Ireland and the local communities in whose areas they are resident” Paul said. “By helping them get a better understanding of English and helping them develop confidence in its usage we hope it will assist people with their employment and career prospects, as well as encouraging them to get involved in other activities in the communities in which they have settled and help them develop new friendships with others in the area” Paul said.

The current course is full but it is planned to start a new course in September which will be well advertised in advance to make sure we get as many as possible to participate Paul concluded.

 

Front L-R: Paul O’Raw (Community Development Manager SKDP); Bernie Cabry (Tutor); Halina Donjinkowska (participant); Claire Dalton (Third Age – Facilitator)

Back L-R: Zenon Huszynski (participant); Kasia Niezgoda (participant); Patrick Henicz (participant)

The new Eircode system that will provide a post code for each address in the country is coming soon and SKDP has been awarded the Eircode Community Outreach contract for the South Kerry area.

In this role SKDP will be coordinating a schedule of information events with community groups throughout the area in the coming weeks and we are also seeking community groups who wish to host such an event.

To learn more about this initiative and what it will mean please click SKDP Eircode Community Outreach

If your community in interested in hosting such an event and you want to get more information please contact Paul O’Raw – e-mail [email protected] or phone him on 087 2317204 or in the SKDP Killarney Office on 064 66 36572

A new initiative, the Friends of the Reeks, has been announced by the Reeks Mountain Access Forum for the MacGillycuddy Reeks. The aim of the initiative is to help raise funds from those who use the mountain to enable essential maintenance works to be carried out on some of the key access paths.

Patricia Deane of the Reeks Mountain Access Forum said that the condition of the paths on the Reeks is deteriorating and the erosion is impacting on the protected habitats and species on the mountain. In addition, there is an impact because of this on water quality and agriculture as well as the issue providing to be a major concern with regard to public safety, Patricia added.

The Reeks Mountain Access Forum is currently undertaking a study of the key paths on the mountain to ascertain what work needs to be done on them that is part funded through the Interreg Rural Alliances project and it is hoped that the group will be in a position to secure some funding from the Government to undertake critical work on the main paths later in the year. “We will also need to have funding available ourselves in order to undertake this work Patricia pointed out and for this reason, we are launching the “Friends of the Reeks” initiative.

To become a member cost just €10 for individuals, €30 for guides and small businesses and €50 for larger businesses. Patricia pointed out that the “Friends” will then get a car sticker and the businesses will be able to use the logo on their brochures, other publicity material and on their websites. To become a “Friend” simply contact Patricia by e-mail at [email protected] or call her on 087 2031034.

The Reeks Mountain Access Forum is made up of representatives of all the stakeholders involved with the MacGillycuddy Reeks including local businesses, farmers and community representatives and is supported by South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd.

They have also recently launched an “honesty box” initiative in the main carparks going up to the reeks to again raise funds for the long term development and management of the reeks.

Following on from their recent very successful AGM, South Kerry’s Rural Men are planning their next trip of the year to visit the Balmoral Agricultural Show near Belfast. This event will also see the group visit the Titanic Experience in Belfast as well as taking in a stop at the National Stud in County Kildare on route to the North.

Spokesperson Paddy Casey said this is quite an extensive trip involving two overnights in addition to the three days and that they have packed a lot into in so that they can get to see as much as possible. It is the furthest we will have travelled to date with the Rural Men so there is sure to be a lot of interest in it he said.

“The Balmoral Agricultural show is one of the most famous of such shows in either Ireland or the UK and takes place in May each year and includes a wide range of events that are sure to be of interest to those planning to go on the trip” Paddy said. In addition, the chance to visit the Titanic Experience as part of this trip really adds to it as this centre has been recognise as one of the best of its kind in the World” he said.

Paddy said that they hoped as many men from South Kerry as possible could join them on this fantastic trip and further information can be got through contacting any of the SKDP offices in Cahersiveen, Killorglin, Killarney or Kenmare. The closing date for bookings is the 30^th of March.

The rural men’s initiative is supported by South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd.

It is South Kerry Development Partnerships view that the proposed South Kerry Greenway Project is a key and crucial piece of infrastructure for the South Kerry Region as a whole that will help to deliver strong economic benefits in the future.  SKDP warmly welcomed the allocation of Government funding to enable its development.

Extensive consultation has taken place between representatives of Kerry County Council and the landowners along the route which has been facilitated and supported by SKDP. Prior to the announcement of the government funding to enable the project go ahead, SKDP undertook extensive one to one and group consultation with landowners along the proposed route as part of the completion of an RDP (LEADER) funded feasibility study.  SKDP acknowledges and appreciate that the vast majority of landowners along the proposed route are supportive of the project.  Unfortunately it has not proven possible to secure agreement from all landowners with a small minority opposing the project.

SKDP wished to see agreement from all landowners along the proposed route secured through a process of negotiation.  If at this juncture, further negotiation and the withdrawal of the threat of a CPO would secure the agreement of all landowners along the route and this could be achieved in a timely manner having regard to the project timeframe, SKDP would support such a move.

However, it is SKDP’s view that given the strategic importance of this project for the region, everything that needs to be done to ensure this project can be completed by the end of 2016, which is the deadline by which the allocated funding for the project needs to be drawn down, should be done.  SKDP also points out that while a CPO process would cover all landowners along the proposed route, the agreements which have been reached by Kerry County Council with the vast majority of landowners along the proposed route would  be unaffected by the CPO process.

A delegation of social farmers who are directors in Social Farming Across Boundaries Ltd (SoFAB Ltd) visited South Kerry on Friday last on a networking initiative aimed at strengthening links between social farming practices across the country. The delegation included Larry Masterson (Donegal), Richard Moeran (Cavan) and Malachy Dolan (Fermanagh) were hosted in Kerry by South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. (SKDP) who have developed a very successful social farming initiative in the region in the last year and provided some of the South Kerry farmers involved the chance to engage with the delegates so as to develop ideas as to how the service can be enhanced, expanded and strengthened in the future.

The social farming programme opens up the opportunity for people with disabilities to get out and work on the farms on a hands-on basis with the farmers and gives them the opportunity to experience farm life at first hand. Those involved work on the farm one day a week over the period of a year. This initiative greatly helps break down barriers around inclusion and helps develop the self-esteem and improves the health and well-being of both the participants and indeed the host farmers.

Malachy Dolan Chairperson of SOFAB Ltd and one of 20 farmers involved with the initial UCD & Queens Universities led INTERREG cross border Social Farming project showed the Kerry farmers  videos of the outcomes.  These highlighted the benefits for all involved and captured the enthusiasm from existing service providers for the concept. “It is wonderful to see the development in the people involved and the relationships built during a social farming placement. These benefits are not only for the  participants and farmers but for the families of all the people involved and the wider community” Malachy said.

There are currently five farmers involved in the social farming project countywide in Kerry and Joseph McCrohan of the Kerry Social Farming initiative also announced at the networking event that they have been successful in securing additional resources for the training and mentoring of farmers that will enable a number of new farmers to be brought onto programme. “The programme has proven to be a tremendous success here in Kerry” Joseph said and added that they are now looking for additional farmers to join in the project. “Farmers from all parts of Kerry are welcome to get involved and we hope that this additional funding will allow a doubling of the numbers of farmers involved in Kerry” he said.

Farmers who are interested in learning more about the Social Farming Initiative should contact Joseph McCrohan by phone on 066 9472724 or by e-mail [email protected]