Pallasgreen Templebraden Community Council leading the way in providing essential facilities for their local community

Pallasgreen Templebraden Community Council accompanied by Community Finance Ireland’s Client Relationship Manager Nora Keogh on site at the group’s new community playground. Pic. Brian Arthur

Limerick’s Pallasgreen Templebraden Community Council are leading the way in providing the services and facilities that their local community require through a social finance loan from Community Finance Ireland

Pallasgreen Templebraden Community Council in Co. Limerick are leading the way in providing the services and facilities that their local community require thanks to a social finance loan from Community Finance Ireland (CFI).

Using social finance loans from CFI to bridge the gap in grant funding, the group have installed a new community playground, a sensory garden and walkway and renovated their community hall. The revitalised community hall hosts weekly exercise classes, youth club activities and is home to the Blasta Café which has become a hub for locals to meet and enjoy some of Anne O’Dowd’s delicious home bakes.

The Council’s Assistant Secretary Stephen O’Neill said, “In terms of the youth club we now have a membership of 34 children who use this facility every Friday. Without this community centre you know we couldn’t function- there would be no youth club. we were very fortunate that Community Finance Ireland were able to help us. To be able to renovate this community centre was just invaluable to us.”

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Located in the village of Pallasgreen in the east of county Limerick, the dedicated team of volunteers at Pallasgreen Templebraden Community Council have worked effortlessly to find innovative solutions to stating work on the various projects they recognised were lacking, but essential in their local area.

Jo Bailey, Pallasgreen Templebraden Pallasgreen Community Council’s Treasurer said, “When the council was reformed there were two main things that they wanted: one was a playground and two was to do up the hall. So we made for the playground first. I came across Community Finance Ireland at an event.

“After a short chat they agreed to come out to us to speak to us, to understand what project was and then basically helped us to learn how to borrow to cover the grant. It was smooth, they made it work well, made it so you could actually understand what the process was.”

CFI are the most progressive social finance provider on the island of Ireland, delivering social finance solutions that support local communities and drive social impact in a diverse range of sectors including grassroot sports, community projects, faith-based groups and social enterprises.

Nora Keogh, Client Relationship Manager at Community Finance Ireland said:

“We are dedicated to working with grassroots community groups like Pallasgreen Templebraden Community Council country-wide to provide finance solutions quickly, so that they can be empowered to enhance their facilities and offer their local community what they need.”

Since its foundation in 1999, CFI has delivered over £110 million in social finance supports to volunteer and community-led organisations across the island of Ireland, including £1.7 million in support of projects across county Limerick. A recent independent report found that for every €1 invested in community projects by Community Finance Ireland, there was a return on social investment of €4.85.