The Sligo LEADER Partnership held a community showcase as part of Local Development Week in early October with hundreds of attendees gathering at the Clayton Hotel, Sligo, to celebrate this milestone event. 

More than 40 exhibitors representing Sligo LEADER programmes, local agencies, and community groups, showcased their initiatives, reinforcing the theme of the day: Collaboration.

The event highlighted the achievements of Sligo LEADER over the past 30 years. One of the most memorable moments was a special presentation made to Michael Quigley who is one of the founders and a former CEO of Sligo LEADER Partnership. Michael said:

“Sligo LEADER was established based on the needs of the community in Sligo. LEADER was a great programme and other programmes followed on the back of the success of LEADER,  through social inclusion and employment support.” 

20 Years of the Rural Social Scheme was also acknowledged, with the programme being celebrated for its crucial role in supporting local farmers and rural communities, as well as its continued impact on community life in Sligo.

John Feerick, CEO of Sligo LEADER Partnership, said the event “truly captured the spirit of what Sligo LEADER stands for—community, collaboration, and progress. It’s an honour to celebrate these milestones with the people who make our work possible”.

• Megan Gayda’s business received support through Sligo LEADER Partnership.

About Sligo LEADER Partnership

County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company CLG (SLPC) was founded in 1994 to support the needs of rural communities and disadvantaged areas of Sligo. It  currently operates the following programmes: LEADER (Rural Development Programme), Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), Tús programme, Community Employment Scheme (Next Move), Rural Social Scheme, Sligo/Leitrim Local Area Employment Service, Rural Recreation, WorkAbility programme (New Wave), Day Centres for the Elderly and integration supports.

With more than 50 staff, and up to 300 people on employment schemes, Sligo LEADER Partnership is to the fore for community supports in Sligo town and county. 

“One of the unique things about Sligo LEADER Partnership is how we can leverage different programmes off one another, and we refer to this as the wraparound supports,” says the new chair of SLPC, Dr Amanda McCloat. 

“We have a great team of people who work closely with our communities, and this is something we value very highly,” she added.

“Sligo LEADER Partnership is always about providing the necessary supports in our communities,” says John Feerick, CEO of Sligo LEADER. “We will always put the individual needs of our clients first and we aim to enhance the lives of the people of Sligo with all of the programmes that we administer.”

More than €4.5million in funding will be allocated to Sligo’s LEADER projects in the current programme (2023-2027).