Mountmellick Community Bus Service
Mountmellick Development Association in conjunction with Laois Trip and Laois LEADER, has recently acquired a fully accessible bus to provide for the unmet transports needs of community members most in need of the service, primarily disabled and older people.
We are presently developing a new service for regular journeys for people living in Mountmellick area that will collect people from home and bring them to their required destination and back. This service will be available weekdays, evening and weekends.
If you are interested or know anybody who is interested in availing of this service, please contact: Storm Powell, MDASI at 057 8624525 or E-mail: storm@mdasiltd.ie
Community Development
For further Information just click on the link below:
Fusion
Food & Health
Community Wildlife Project
Residents Associations
Mountmellick Environment Group (MEG)
Establishment of Disability Group
Mountmellick Active Retirement Group
Intercultural Support
Traveller Programme
FUSION - A new project aimed at integration of immigrants into the wider community in the county commenced operations recently. The project is the brainchild of Portlaoise Community Action Project (PCAP), Mountmellick Development Association (MDA), and County Development Board (CDB), funded by Pobal under the initiatives to support the integration of legally resident immigrants.
Describing the project, Rotimi Adebari a member of the project coordinating team said the project will provide a forum for integration of immigrants into the local communities in which they live and also promote a self-help ethos that will develop their volunteering within the community.
The scope of the project includes the following amongst others:
Language training: It will identify and train contact people and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and different geographic locations in teaching English as a second language. The individuals will then act as supports for immigrants within their own community.
Employment and Education Supports: The project will work with local employers, agencies, voluntary and community groups to identify members of immigrant community and work with them to identify and clarify qualification equivalencies with the National Qualifications Framework. The project will also assist in progressing immigrants to employment by identifying their training needs and make applications to FAS, DSFA, VEC etc. Education initiatives which portrays a picture of life in both Ireland and other countries will be organised
Capacity Building: Area meetings will be arranged to determine local area needs in terms of integration and the contact people identified from the areas will act as support and link person to a variety of immigrants, provide translation supports and encourage others to get involve in the project
Information: A welcome pack that are specific to local areas with information relevant to new immigrants in their own language and with details of how to get involved in local activities will be produced. Guests speakers will be invited to speak at local area meetings on subjects related to needs identified, right and entitlements and position papers will be developed highlighting the issues facing immigrants and try to shape policy in this area.
Intercultural Activities: A series of events that supports and celebrates immigrant and Irish art, drama, food, music and culture will be arranged at County level in co-operation with local electoral area groups and agencies
The project office is located at 5 Kellyville Court, Portlaoise. For more information please contact Natasha Nosenko or Rotimi Adebari on: 057 8666463 or 086 6018006
The Food and Health Programme, Background:
The food and health programme for Laois and Offaly commenced in September 2003 and is a joint initiative between Mountmellick Development Association and Health Services Executive. This is a community led programme which aims to provide a peer led nutrition education programme to disadvantaged groups in the counties of Laois and Offaly. A similar programme has been running since 1999 as a partnership between the Health Services Executive, and Athlone Community Taskforce.
The aim of the project is to support people who are interested in healthy living on low income. Local women have been trained as Food & Health instructor’s to deliver the courses to disadvantaged groups in the Laois Offaly area. The project has now extended to Kildare and courses are due to commence from September onwards.
Courses are broken into three different categories depending on the needs of individual groups.
Healthy Food Made Easy:
This course has both theory and cookery elements to it with each session been 2 ½ hours long. The Instructor takes the group through the food pyramid chart and discusses the balance in their diet, the fats, fibre, shopping tips etc. there is a community Dietitian attached to the project and she visits the groups to answer any medical questions that the groups have. This has proved to be an invaluable part of the programme as it gives people access to a Dietitian that they would normally not have.
Cooking for Health:
This is a simpler version of the HFME and is delivered to people with low literacy skills and Mental Health groups.
Cool Dude:
This program is aimed at young people which is both a practical and fun. This year we have developed this course to have a physical activity module session in it.
Each course is evaluated and it’s through this process that we have noted that behavioural and knowledge change has come about in the homes and as a result of this we now have added another element to the program, Healthy Heart session which will begin in September to groups who have finished the HFME course.
To date we have delivered 80 courses with a further 14 ongoing. Groups that have benefited are, low income women’s groups, disability groups, traveller groups, ethnic groups, men’s groups, youth groups etc.
For further information or application form please contact: barbaralalor@eircom.net
Or contact Cara Cunningham, Community Dietician Ph: 044 84950
Participants from the Pre-Employment Programme Receiving Certification
Are you a member of a residents association . Most of the estates in Mountmellick have now set up such associations and this is an ideal way to deal with issues arising in your estate. The mda has a list of the associations in town. Call us if we can provide you with any information
Mountmellick Environment Group (MEG) established in November 2001 has moved from focusing on gardening to engaging with wider environmental issues. One of its major successes is in the area of home composting where it has succeeded in getting up to 200 households in the town engaged in home composting. MEG engages with the youth of the town through the Schools Green School committees and environmental projects. For the past two years MEG has run very successful Environmental Information Evenings. Through these events MEG promotes good environmental practices through sharing information on local and national initiatives, promoting the use of local facilities and general encouragement of the importance of caring for our environment. It is currently in dialogue with Laois County Council, (Environment Section) and Race Against Waste and hopes to develop a pilot environment programme for the town.
If you wish to attend MEG meetings, contact Imelda (Tel. 057 8644005) or Storm at the MDA (Tel. 057 8624525)
The groups’ motto is ‘By working together we can make a difference.’
To create an awareness of the needs of people with disabilities and creating their voice from Mountmellick, MDASI are keen to contact people from Mountmellick and surrounding areas who are interested in forming a group for people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities and other interested people.
Following a successful computer course organised in the Mountmellick Development Association to celebrate the Year of the Elderly in 1999, a group of the participants decided to form an active retirement group who meet fortnightly in the MDA and organise all sorts of outings.
Today the group has a membership in access of 40 people and has an average attendance of 25 each fortnight.
Chairman of the group Anne Mathews stresses the importance of keeping people active. “It’s a great opportunity for people to meet. Membership is open to everybody over 50 or retired who feels that they would like to join.” The group usually invites a guest speaker to their fortnightly meetings and has covered such topics as health issues, local issues of interest, security, and road safety. During 2002, the group received funding for various activities including art classes and yoga classes and intend to commence computer classes shortly.
The group, also, organise outings during the year and members have attended several conferences dealing with issues for older people. The group are affiliated to the Laois County Development Board and members of the group attend the Midland Health Board consultative forum for older people.
The group is an ideal outlet for older people who are looking for an out of home activity and who want to keep themselves active for as long as possible
We wish to make contact with all newcomers to Mountmellick and offer our services to you. If you are not Irish, you may be interested in joining non-national group who meet in the MDA once a week.
Since 2001, members of the Traveller Community in Mountmellick have been meeting in the MDA to learn new skills and undertake projects.
Fusion (New Project coming soon)!
Information and Advice Centre for Community Groups
Community Resource Room
Practical and Secretarial Support for Local Community Groups
Advice on Funding for Community Projects, Childcare etc.
Community Newsletter
Group Facilitation
Research into Needs of Disadvantaged Groups in Mountmellick
Facilitation of Residents Associations
Estate Management Training
Community Leadership Programmes
Programmes for Older People
Programmes for People with Disabilities
Programmes for Travellers
Environmental Programmes
Childcare Advice Service for Parents
Community Based Initiatives for Young People - Community Development Support - Service to the Unemployed
