Bantry
Integrated
Development
Group

ABOUT US

The story so far.....

Only in the last 10 years has it been acknowledge that rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to opportunities for improving the quality of life for the people who live there.

Nobody likes to think of themselves as disadvantaged...so instead, start thinking about the area you live in. If you live in this area

BIDG Area (Click to enlarge)

    Do these regions have the same opportunities and provision of services as say
         Naas, Galway, Limerick or Cork City? Jobs, transport, communication, housing,
         education and childcare?

In 1997, Bantry Integrated Development Group (BIDG) was formed to look at ways of overcoming some of these disadvantages with a view to developing the economic, environmental and cultural resources of Bantry and the surrounding area with the purpose of improving the quality of life for all who live there. The approach taken by BIDG was a novel one as it brought together the people experiencing the effects of disadvantage with the people who had the expertise in finding solutions-and the motto adopted by BIDG was born...'working together for a better future'.

In the four years since it started, BIDG has come a long way:
    A combination of professional expertise, local knowledge, dedication & hard
      work-fuelled by funding from government & the EU has brought results.
    Over 3,700 people have received training, advice or support from BIDG & many
      have seen their lives change for the better as a Result of Their Own Efforts!

BOARD MEMBERS

Chamber of Commerce	Seamus O'Connor
West Cork Institute of Education	Vincent Aherne
VEC	Noreen Deasy
West Cork Leader Co-operative	Eileen O'Shea
FAS	Tommy Power
Beara Women's Network	Stephanie O'Toole
Bantry Women's Group	Caroline Dare
NTDI	Pat Murphy
Co-Action	Richard Morton
ICMSA	Vincent Crowley
IFA	Nealie O'Leary
Co. Co.	Liam Ennis
Tidy Towns	Mike Goodall
Cork County Council	Denis O'Donovan
Bantry Active Retirement Association	Charles Coombs
Bantry Community Resource Centre	Anna Fitzgerald

SERVICES

Measures

	Community Development
	Services to the Unemployed
	Youth Based Initiatives

BIDG are responsible for

	Ongoing consultation with relevant interest groups and target groups
	Identifying the changing needs of the area, with reference to its sector
	Designing and implementing innovative responses to the needs of the area, with reference to its own particular sector.
	Informing and supporting board decision-making on matters relating to its sector
	Assessing the impact of the Group's strategies on the sector.