County Mayor's Diary
Life has been busy in the council since I wrote my last column. There are several exciting initiatives that I would like to talk about this week.
I’m delighted to announce a new award for emerging visual artists. The Emerging Visual Artist Award 2024 will provide an artist with a financial bursary and the opportunity for a solo exhibition at the Cork County Council LHQ Gallery. We are delighted to provide opportunities to emerging artists who are at a critical juncture in their careers.
Recent graduates in any field, particularly emerging artists, can benefit from support and opportunity in their careers. We hope to nurture visual art talent in Cork county, and we look forward to seeing the results of this new award.
Our Arts Service is now inviting schools to apply to participate in Frameworks, a classroom-based education programme. Four primary schools in county Cork will become temporary custodians of our county art collection and will engage in a programme that will be facilitated by a professional artist. This collection is owned by the people of Cork and as such it is the policy of Cork County Council to make this collection as widely available to the public as possible.
We are proud to support the relaunch of the Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme, a service available to residents of county Cork aimed at supporting adults over 65 to remain living in their own homes and communities. The Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme was first run as a pilot programme in Cork County Council in 2021.
Following its successful implementation, the programme has been rolled out to every local authority in the country since. We have a rapidly ageing population here in Ireland. Most people wish to remain living in their own homes and communities, which unfortunately is not always possible. The Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme is an important, person-centered initiative aimed at helping older people to continue living in their homes or in one more suited to their needs.
We are excited to have launched a new Circular Economy Fund with the aim of empowering local action to drive a more circular economy. The fund aims to support communities to move away from the traditional linear ‘take-make-use-dispose’ model towards more circular living where resources are reused or recycled, reducing wastage.
As a community, we have a responsibility to reduce our reliance on single use plastics and embrace sustainable alternatives. By launching the Circular Economy Fund, Cork County Council is empowering local organisations to make a positive impact on the environment while promoting the principles of a circular economy.