BAG awarded grant from community foundation Ireland

We are delighted to announce that we are one of 96 organisations nationwide who have just received a grant from the Climate Actions Work Engagement Fund. The group have been allocated €2,500 from the €500,000 fund designed to engage new audiences in local regions on climate issues.

The fund is administered by Community Foundation Ireland and the grants were announced by Ministers Darragh O’Brien and Alan Dillon of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The individual amounts granted to groups in 23 counties ranged from €2,500 to €10,000. The supports are aimed at groups or organisations working to bring people together to share information on climate action.

Our plan is to raise awareness of the work that we have done so far as a group, but also the plans we have to improve the biodiversity of the area for future generations. We have worked really hard for almost six years now, to raise awareness of the importance of the biodiversity and rich heritage in Ballyshannon and its surrounds. It is a huge endorsement for us to receive this funding from government, to ensure that we can continue to get our message out and continue to teach future generations just how precious this area is and what steps we can take to protect it.

Last July we produced a Community Biodiversity Action Plan, commissioned from ecologist Dr Catherine O'Connell with the help of a previous €5,500 grant from Community Foundation Ireland. Dr O'Connell identified at least 110 different species in hedgerows, streams, gardens and road frontages in the local area, and the plan assessed these and also provided ideas for further improvements to local biodiversity.