Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
Senator Aisling Dolan welcomed €190,000 for three Hubs in Co. Roscommon including Gorthaganny Resource Centre, Tulsk Digi-Hub, Spool Factory in Boyle as well as support for 5 Broadband Connection Points through Roscommon County Council
This is part of an announcement today by Minister Heather Humphreys to promote remote working in our towns and villages.
Senator Aisling Dolan stated
This funding of close to €200,000 is a fantastic investment in our area. €38,000 for Tulsk Digi-Hub will provide dedicated office spaces and meeting rooms. €36,000 for Gothaganny will be used to upgrade the existing room and refurbish a second office space. €57,000 for Boyle will be invested on own door office space and accessibility is also being reviewed across all these hubs. Funding of €58,000 is also allocated to Roscommon County Council for 5 Broadband Connection Points at community centres in Creeve, Cam, Kilmurray, Tisara and Tawnytaskin with heating & IT upgrades as well as external signage.
The measures announced today by my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys also include 10,000 free hot desk spaces for people under the Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme. There are 242 locations on the ConnectedHubs.ie website for first-time and exiting users – so a great opportunity here to check out your local Hub during the summer. This could be a way to explore the options of working in our local area and not having to be based at the kitchen table!
With funding of €50,000 to each Local Authority for marketing campaigns, Roscommon County Council will be able to encourage people working from home all over the country to consider spending some of their time in Roscommon. This funding is under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
Announcing the three initiatives at the Creative Spark Digital Hub in Dundalk, Minister Heather Humphreys said:
As Minister for Rural and Community Development, I am serious about ensuring we don’t simply revert to the ‘old normal’ – the way of life we had before Covid-19.
When I meet remote workers across the country, they tell me all about the benefits of spending a few days each week working from a digital hub in their local community.
They talk about how their lives are improved now that they don’t have to embark on that early morning, gruelling commute to Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway or other urban centres.
Remote Working has been a game-changer for thousands of people. It’s given people of all ages a better quality of life – allowing them to spend more time with their family friends, working within their local town or village.
So today, I am absolutely delighted to announce a series of new measures that represent the next chapter in our Remote Working journey.”
Minister Humphreys continued:
“The Connected Hubs Voucher scheme I am announcing today will provide at least 10,000 free days at hot desks in hubs across the country.
“It will be available to existing hub users who are already enjoy the benefits of working from a hub in their local area.
“But it is aimed at new users too. For example, I believe this scheme will appeal to someone who has never worked for their local hub – now they can try it out for the first time for free.
“This scheme is based on the ‘voucher follows the person’ approach and will initially provide three days of hub use per person between now and the end of August.
“So for people who may wish to holiday at home this summer, this scheme is ideal if you need to do a couple of days working in facilities that are comfortable and underpinned by good quality broadband.
“I would strongly encourage potential new hub users and those thinking of a working staycation to set up a connectedhubs.ie profile.
“We will be applying vouchers to all registered users in the coming weeks, so get registered now.”
