A double celebration at Ard Carrig

A double celebration at Ard Carrig – a Housing Hero award and a new community garden

Residents at Ard Carrig, Carrigtwohill in Cork came together on Thursday 15th July to celebrate the opening of a new community garden project. Ard Carrig is a dedicated age-friendly housing service. Residents have the support of a Scheme Manager who is committed to empowering residents to live for as long as possible in sustainable, high-quality, affordable homes in their own community.

The community garden project has been in planning for over a year with a focus on designing, funding, and extending the gardens at the Ard Carrig apartment scheme. A water fountain forms the centre piece, and a new seating area has been installed to allow residents enjoy this new outside space. The project included the addition of new raised beds in which residents Peggy Roche, Margaret Debuf and John Duncliffe have been busy planting flowers and food crops since last Spring. Margaret, Peggy and John work in the garden several days a week to keep it looking at its best.

Margaret commented “We worked with our scheme manager Joanne O’Brien to get approval last year and then we got busy planning the garden. Clann were happy to support the proposal. It was an ideal site – both sunny and sheltered. We wanted to develop a garden for us to enjoy maintaining and for residents to relax in. It has been a difficult time for us all. We have not been able to use our community room for over a year due to Covid. Everyone can now meet up outside in the new garden”.

Funding the garden was a challenge for residents. Peggy said “I’m from the Carrigtwohill area, so once we had permission, I started to approach local groups for help and received a great response. BAM Construction were extremely generous supplying labour, timber, topsoil and a water supply for the new fountain. Midleton Distillery provided barrels for planters, Ard Carrig Residents Association bought flowers and shrubs, Carrigtwohill Tidy Towns gave us seating and Clann purchased the lovely fountain”.

Opening the new gardens Kath Cottier, Director of Housing at Clann, explained that celebrating community was very important, “I truly feel honoured to be part of your celebration, to have this opportunity to recognise your combined work and to say thank you”. Ger Murray, Chairperson of Ard Carrig Residents Association thanked residents for all their hard work to overcome the challenges and make the project happen.

Clann staff and residents also took the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of another Ard Carrig resident, Mick Lynch who this year won the ‘Housing Hero’ award from the Chartered Institute of Housing. Mick is well known in the wider Clann community up to Dublin across to Donegal and Galway, right down to Kerry and back across to Cork. Acknowledging Mick’s success in winning the national award Kath Cottier said, “The award was a true recognition that no housing association would be as successful without great residents, people who get out there and act as community leaders”.

Congratulations Mick, from all the residents and staff at Clann.

Assistive toolbar - ReciteMe