Crossmolina.ie

IT IS with honour and much anticipation that Crossmolina has responded to the nomination by Mayo Co Council as one of its locations for the Pride of Place 2008 competition. The Pride of Place concept is familiar to some parts of the county who have been nominated in the past, to others, like us in Crossmolina who had not experienced it before resulted in lots of questions and queries.

The aim of the competition is to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that community groups make to society. The concept is unique in that it does not focus entirely on the image of the environment but on the impact and difference that groups and their activities have made or are making in peoples’ lives.

It wants to reward the efforts that are put in place, which can give people pride in their community. The integration of minority, less abled groups, the youth, the elderly, etc is an important aspect to the competition. Pride of Place is a 32 county wide competition with many categories; Crossmolina is one of five locations/ projects in Co Mayo nominated for the 2008 competition and is included in Category 4, Population 1,000- 2,000.

The length of time between nomination and adjudication is short and therefore intense. It has however some advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that we haven’t much time to think about it, thereby eliminating procrastination and indecisiveness. As a community we have to get together and pull together at a fast and cohesive rate.

The disadvantages are that we would like to have contacted all groups individually and pay attention to certain aspects of the environment. It is, however to our advantage that the physical environment is not the main focus of the competition but a good presentation of our town and countryside is taken into consideration on the day. What is most important is the sense of community cooperation, cohesiveness and integration. The main focus of our attention now, is on what can be achieved, how it will be presented to the judges and how the community of Crossmolina will be best presented on the national stage.

It is important that the adjudicators get the opportunity to see and experience the involvement of the local community; it is vital that the message is presented with this at its heart. A lasting memento to the Pride of Place competition has been discussed and a final decision on it will be taken at the next meeting. The image of the locality will be enhanced for adjudication day; Friday, July 25, with both temporary decoration and some permanent improvements.

The response so far from the community groups and societies has been fantastic. Representatives from at least twenty diverse organisations operating in the area have attended our recent briefings. They have responded to the challenge with enthusiasm and a host of ideas and suggestions. Most of all pride in the place in which we live has come through without any doubt. A genuine thank you is extended to everyone who has responded to the challenge so far!

Pride of Place is an all-island competition which was first piloted in the summer of 2003. It was initiated by Tom Dowling, Chairperson of the Local Authority All-Island Community & Leisure Sub-Committee and County Manager of Meath County Council. In his role as County Manager, Tom has long been aware of the substantial efforts of community groups whose activities enable key societal functions, which would otherwise be absent.
The concept behind the competition is very simple - to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that community groups make to society. This basic element of community recognition makes the competition unique. Past entrants in Pride of Place have included groups involved in a wide variety of activities across the social spectrum. The common thread is the impact and difference these activities have made in peoples' lives.