Seven villages with good reason to thank Fás

IN light of the proposed Fás review of training and ancillary activities, it is well to remember the many positive contributions made by that organisation. It has proved to be of huge value especially in rural areas.

The enormous assistance given by the many Fás employees where well managed schemes are the norm is not fully recognised. When Fás staff put in regular working hours this creates a strong sense of discipline which is of great benefit to those workers when they are looking for future employment.

The one big danger in this review is that all villages may be judged by the same standards and criteria. The exemplary schemes could suffer from unfair comparison with badly run groups, where standards are not maintained or where time is seen as being of no importance.

It is imperative that Fás schemes, which are the lifeblood of rural development, continue and expand as the cost to the exchequer is negligible.

We would like to thank our Fás employees for the tremendous work they do in our seven North Cork villages – Dromina, Freemount, Milford, Tullylease, Newtownshandrum, Churchtown and Liscarroll.

The seven villages in our Fás area are extremely well kept and the work done in each area is appreciated by everyone. This requires great effort and dedication by the workers as there are six areas to be covered in each village – tidy towns, GAA, village renewal, community development association, heritage centre and parochial grounds. Support is also provided for the playschools in each area.

It is a credit to the team of workers and their supervisors who work tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of our scheme and that we are getting fantastic value for money. On behalf of our sponsoring group, we would like to thank Fás for its ongoing commitment.

Matthew Ryan

Chairperson

Mary O’Connell

Secretary

ROC Opelton Ltd

Newtown

Charleville

Co Cork