Clifden Town Hall benefits from unique funding model
Pictured at Clifden Town Hall are Mary Nohilly, Community Finance Ireland (CFI) Client Relationship Manager and Kevin Gavin, Clifden Town Hall General Manager. Picture: Andrew Downes, xposure
Clifden Town Hall is ready to turn it up to 11 at their local arts festival, dance classes, and their long-standing Bingo nights, having installed a new, state-of-the-art sound system with the support of Community Finance Ireland (CFI).
The Town Hall building has been a central part of the Clifden community for over 100 years and has undergone significant renovations in the past decade. General manager Kevin Gavin says this latest technological upgrade has kitted Clifden Town Hall out for the increasing number of activities they host for the local community including dance classes for young and old, indoor bowls, meditation, Thursday night bingo and the longest-running community arts festival in Ireland, Clifden Community Arts Festival.
Mr Gavin described how he remembered a chance meeting with Community Finance Ireland CEO Dónal Traynor when the time came to apply for funding for the much-needed sound system upgrade.
“When I met Dónal at an event a few years ago, his commitment to supporting community organisations had stayed with me. When our committee recognised that we urgently needed funding for a new sound system for the hall, I immediately thought of Community Finance Ireland.
“Our experience with CFI has felt like a very personal one. Working with Dónal and locally-based Mary has been wonderful. It has always felt like Mary is just down the road and is happy to answer any questions we might have.”
Clifden Town Hall accessed a bridging loan of €20,000 from Community Finance Ireland, which provides social finance loans to community and volunteer-led organisations that drive social impact through sport, community projects, faith-based groups, and social enterprises. Operating a model similar to traditional credit unions, all loan repayments go toward supporting other communities across Ireland. This loan was used to assist with bridging a community recognition grant of €29,919 from Galway County Council in respect of upgrading the Town Hall sound system.
Mary Nohilly, CFI Client Relationship Executive for Connacht and Donegal, said: “It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Clifden Town Hall. This beautiful, warm space brings so many people together from the local community and the great many visitors the area welcomes throughout the year. The team here provide so many fantastic activities and now everyone will be able to enjoy relaxing background music at their meditation sessions, and hear every call clearly at Thursday night bingo!"
Between 2016 and 2022, Community Finance Ireland delivered €3.4 million in social finance supports to volunteer and community-led organisations in Connacht, including just under €900,000 in support of projects in Galway. Based on a social value analysis undertaken by the Rural Community Network in Northern Ireland, CFI has established that its funding solution delivers a return on investment that creates a multiplier effect of 3.42 times the initial investment through wider social benefits such as improved community health and increased employment opportunities and skill levels.
For more information on Community Finance Ireland, visit www.communityfinanceireland.com.
