June Update

I thought I would drop you a brief line to update you on some things that have been happening in the Chamber.

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Jungle City Clon.  It was the first time I had seen the brightly painted animals first hand and it was fantastic.  They include some exceptional works of art that have been decorated by local artists.  I think they are going to make a huge impact for the town when they go into place at the start of July.

They will certainly brighten up our lives, but I am convinced they are also going to give a boost to visitor numbers for the coming season.  Kids are gonna love these things; they are going to create a perfect storm of pester power that’s going to bring a lot of families down the N71 this summer.

Of course, we need to recognize Sustainable Clonakilty as the lead partner in this effort.  Sustainable Clonakilty is also a member of our Chamber and they had an essential and valuable role in making Jungle City happen.  Thanks to everyone in Sustainable Clonakilty who helped in getting Jungle City over the line, it wouldn’t have happened without you. One of the main objectives of Jungle City Clonakilty is to raise the profile of Sustainable Clonakilty and bring an awareness of the work that they are doing to a much wider audience. 

I would like to pay particular tribute as well to Mary Powys and Derek Dillon for their outstanding vision and hard work in driving this forward.

Jungle City comes hot on the heels of Clon’trepeneur, which was a fantastic event on Thursday, 24^th May.  If you weren’t able to make the final, it was a fantastic evening’s entertainment which showcased four excellent businesses and produced an outstanding winner in OceanaBoost. 

You are no doubt aware that Barry Holland, Declan Moore and David Ryan (who are the team behind OceanaBoost) are 17 year old fifth year students at Clonakilty Community College.  I just can’t get over this fact.  These guys have an exceptionally bright future and I am really looking forward to hearing how they get on in utilising the prize to develop their business.

I would like to thank Colette Twomey, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Eugene Scally and Bill Liao for being our judges on the night and George Hook for acting as MC.  George very kindly offered each finalist a slot on his Newstalk show to promote their business which was an unexpected bonus.  

I would also like to pay particular tribute to the organising committee of Mairead O’Gorman, Trevor Kingston, Michael Crowley, J.J. Walsh, Catherine Beamish, Noreen Quinn, Adrian White and Mick Hanly who put in an extraordinary amount of work in coming up with the concept for this event and then making it happen.

Clon’trepeneur is an excellent example of a group of Chamber members taking the initiative themselves, delivering on an idea and in the process producing something that will promote business and inspire others to do likewise.  I would encourage other Chamber members to follow this example, if you have an idea and would like to develop a project, we would be delighted to support you.

Over the last number of months Geraldine Cullinane and Pamela Sheehan have doing some very valuable research on Merchant Services (card payment facilities) for Chamber members.  Geraldine and Pam presented their initial findings at our meeting on Monday last and initial indications are that there is potential for major savings.  

This is a work in progress and I know Geraldine and Pam are waiting to hear from a number of other providers before finalising their findings and recommendations.  I would encourage you to pay close attention to those e-mails and attend the next meeting where this is to be discussed.  This is just one of many areas with potential for savings.

Jungle City is something that will benefit Clon as a community and will bring business.  Clon’trepeneur is something that developed potential for new businesses, encouraged other entrepreneurs and provided a great night’s entertainment.  And the Merchant Services project is going to mean hard cash saved in your business as a result of your membership of Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce.

So there you go: three great reasons to be a member of Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce.  Now if only we could do something about the weather…

--  Florence McCarthy