Leitrim projects shortlisted for national awards

Two Leitrim projects have been shortlisted for the  Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards 2022.  

The awards are sponsored by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and showcase best practise in local government and recognise the skills, hard work, and innovation within county councils that can often go unrecognised.

The BFireSafe@School project, coordinated by Leitrim County Council, has been shortlisted for the Local Authority Innovation award. 

The project developed a new Europe-wide fire safety education programme for young people aged 12-18. 

It was created by an Irish Project Working Group consisting of post primary teachers from Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board, fire officers, education consultants and ICT experts. 

 The project has been pilot tested in schools all over Ireland and is now being implemented in post primary schools all over Europe.

Leitrim County Council has also been shortlisted for the Sense-Ability project in the County's Library Service.

 This is a collaborative project between Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo County Councils.

Sense-Ability is an innovative library service which aims to offer positive library experiences for people with sensory needs including those on the Autism Spectrum, those with Developmental Coordination Issues/Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Disorder, Dyslexia and others with additional needs. 

The project strives to develop sensory friendly, accessible library services for the people of Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon. The goal is to provide a sense of belonging, a sense of space, a sense of welcome and a sense of support to individuals of all abilities, their families and caregivers.

In welcoming the shortlisting of Leitrim County Council for the awards, Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Councillor Ita Reynolds Flynn said: “I am delighted that Leitrim County Council has been shortlisted for these two projects. 

“It is a great achievement to be short-listed for national awards, as it recognises the excellent work that is being carried out by the local authority in delivering projects for our communities in Leitrim and I congratulate all involved in their delivery.”

An awards function will be held in November in Dublin when the overall winners will be announced.