2nd Westmeath Scout Group awarded the RISE grant in partnership with National Broadband Ireland
: A Westmeath community group received a quick cash injection to invest in new technology thanks to the RISE Community Fund supported by National Broadband Ireland (NBI).
Established by NBI Chairman, David McCourt, RISE has awarded over 140 cash grants across the country to rural organisations seeking to boost their digital ecosystems. The fund is further supported by corporate sponsors including KN Circet, KPMG, Test Triangle, DreamDev Technologies, and TLI Group.
The latest funding comes off the back of a call for entries that NBI had announced as part of its national roadshow celebrating areas of the country that have shown the highest demands for its new high-speed fibre broadband network under the Government’s National Broadband Plan.
The 2nd Westmeath Scout Group received the first RISE grant of €1000.
With 11,787 properties in Westmeath now able to order or pre-order high-speed, reliable broadband on the new NBI network thanks to the Government’s National Broadband Plan, David McCourt, Chairman of NBI and founder of RISE, explained why he was keen to visit the area and give back to the community with these grants.
“We’re delighted to have had this opportunity to meet with a fantastic array of community groups in Westmeath and give a financial boost to those who really want to capitalise on their new high-speed connectivity. We received an amazing number of entries from people looking to embrace new technologies to scale the impact of their work, which paints a bright future for rural communities such as Athlone,” said McCourt.
NBI recently announced that 4,365 connections in County Westmeath have already been made to the NBI network so far. Take-up of NBI’s fibre broadband in Westmeath is at 37% overall and is highest in rural areas of the county near Athlone where take-up has surpassed 50%.
Sean Mimnagh, from 2nd Westmeath Scout Group, commented: “We’ve been established in Athlone since 1930 and are proud to cater for a wide range of ages with outdoor activities, games and fun learning experiences. With this grant from RISE and the support from NBI and its partners, we’re able to invest in new technologies such as radio equipment so that our scout leaders can gain confidence taking young people out for activities in our remote surroundings.
“The RISE and NBI grants are a fantastic initiative that empower community groups like ours to use connectivity and technology to improve people’s everyday lives.”
Neighbouring Cloonakilla National School and Tulsk Digi Hub in Co Roscommon were also awarded grants.
NBI is reminding Westmeath residents to also visit their website at www.nbi.ie to check whether their home, farm or business is included in the National Broadband Plan and to sign up for Eircode specific updates on the rollout.
Read more about the RISE Community Fund at riseglobalfoundation.com.
