Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Newbridge Forum gets down to business

The Newbridge Forum on the economic crisis is getting down to business and showing it is doing much more than talking about problems.

The group, which is open to all, has held two meetings and a third is planned for Wednesday, November 18, in Newbridge Parish Centre. You are invited to come along to this meeting. The Forum involves people of all ages, who meet to discuss how they and Newbridge are dealing with the economic crisis. The two meetings to date, which were held in Hotel Keadeen, involved people talking openly together about the issues they feel are important.

The second meeting raised a number of challenges to those who attended. The interaction between those present, and the willingness of people to take on different tasks, and work together has marked the Newbridge Forum as a new way of working together.

Youth issues, the needs of people seeking employment, how can Newbridge promote itself as a town to improve local business and can people share their skills and talents in a new way are just some of the topics that have been discussed in detail.

The isolation and loneliness experienced by people who are seeking employment was a topic discussed at length at the first two meetings. Arising from this debate, a group is being formed to look at setting up a networking club where people could meet. Again this would be an open session with everyone invited to come along. As this idea develops, the Forum will update you through local media. This networking group would complement existing services and offer a chance for people to meet together. This Forum sub-group is also to look at developing a skills database for Newbridge highlighting the talents within the town of those seeking employment as well as people currently in work.

That session also looked at the issue of a Youth Alliance – a suggestion that young people and the groups they are involved in work together to improve facilities and services in the town. In October Kildare Youth Services hosted the Comhairle na nOg or Kildare Youth Council group in Newbridge and their representatives undertook to pursue the issue of a Youth Alliance with young people at this session.

The need to promote Newbridge as a town to do business was raised and a voucher scheme to give discounts to shop locally was debated. At present many of the town’s sporting clubs are involved in a similar project and it was agreed to see how this developed and whether it could be expanded by the business community to a wider group.

Newbridge Town Council is to investigate another idea that was raised at the Forum. This is to run a festival based on the rich musical heritage in Newbridge. Examples of how other towns generated business through a festival was discussed and councillors said this was something they were considering and would develop further.

Another idea put forward at the first Forum meeting was a Food Buying Club. This is where people join together to buy produce locally or to source cheaper, quality food for sale and distribution among members. Fada, the Newbridge group, which promotes community self-sufficience, has just started such a club and the Forum agreed to await initial feedback and then look at how it could be expanded among interested Newbridge residents.

One of the regular issues that arises in Newbridge is the income drain from the town through rates payments by business to Kildare County Council. Newbridge Town Council hasn’t full town council powers and is not a rate-gathering council. The Forum agreed to look at a specific aspect of this and to investigate whether all planning levies due to benefit the town over recent years have been spent on Newbridge projects. This is likely to involve significant monies and Newbridge Community Development is pursuing this project.

Creating more community gardens in Newbridge, where people can learn to grow their own produce, or develop community allotments was another interesting topic. Fada has already developed a small community garden at the rear of Newbridge Town Hall. The Forum felt with the volume of land currently lying undeveloped in Newbridge there was an opportunity to broaden this project. So it was decided this possibility would be investigated by Newbridge Community Development in association with Fada.

People sharing their skills to get jobs done that they would otherwise pay for is an interesting project undertaken by a primary school in the town. The Forum felt this was a very interesting development and it is something it will learn more about to see if it can translate to a wider community group.

The Forum is hosted by Newbridge Community Development, a voluntary community group that has existed in the town for the past 11 years. Both Forum meetings have involved a variety of very interesting topics that are discussed in an open and friendly atmosphere, where people come together to give their opinions and see what can be done.

Make sure to put Wednesday, November 18, in your diary and come along to the third Newbridge Forum meeting in Newbridge Parish Centre. You can raise issues that are important to you and be involved in working together to see us through the economic crisis.

You can check out Forum updates at http://ncdforum.blogspot.com/

Email the Newbridge Forum at ncdforum@gmail.com

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