29 September, 2020

The Hincks Centre was delighted to host the first of two Shared Learning events for the My Town, My Plan Community Training programme on September 29, 2020, via live stream, due to Covid19 restrictions. This Shared Learning event showcased the ideas and future vision that the participants from Clonakilty, Kinsale, Rosscarbery and Skibbereen have for their towns.

Hosted by Helen McGuirk, Head of the Hincks Centre, we were thrilled to have over 100 virtual guests in attendance, with many more sharing screens.

Dr Breda Kenny, Head of the School of Business, gave a short address on behalf of CIT and was followed by a pre-recorded video where representatives from the four towns gave a synopsis of their town’s ideas/vision.

Next, Nuala O’Connell, Development Officer with SECAD gave a very interesting presentation on ‘Planning for Success’. As Development Officer, Nuala works in a number of areas, primarily supporting local community groups in South, East and West Cork in the development of plans, funding of projects, development and delivery of Social Inclusion initiatives and rolling out training programmes.

Our next speaker was James Bourke of James Bourke & Associates. James has worked in the retail sector for over 23 years. In his current role as business consultant, James provides strategic advice and business planning for some of Ireland's best-known companies within the food and retail sectors. His presentation, entitled ‘Retail Therapy - What’s Your Plan’, had the audience captivated - the evidence of which was seen in the many questions that were submitted for James.

Ryan Howard, CEO, SECAD was the final speaker with his presentation ‘From Vision to Action - Your Community’s Future’. By outlining the next steps, we hope that the participating groups from My Town, My Plan will continue on their journey and maybe someday in the not too distant future, will see their ideas and visions become a reality. (For further information on the next steps contact SECAD on info@secad.ie or visit www.secad.ie.)

The recorded event and further information about My Town, My Plan can be viewed in our Projects section by clicking here.

My Town, My Plan Community Training programme commenced in September 2019 and was delivered by the Hincks Centre to 8 towns across Cork County in collaboration with the Discovery Partnership, a number of Centres at CIT and Experts from around the region. The programme was funded through SECAD as part of the LEADER programme. The objective of the programme was to provide training in future planning and the innovative development of a cohesive vision for towns and their hinterland. Some of the participating towns have already used their Ideas Documents as part of their submissions to the Cork County Development Plan. Full details on My Town, My Plan can be found here.