LookWest.ie has been named Best e-Government Website in the Irish Internet Association’s annual awards programme. The Western Development Commission (WDC) won the award over other category finalists South Dublin County Council, University of Limerick, Mayo County Council and the Dublin Institute of Technology. Winners were announced at a ceremony in Dublin on Thursday May 20th.

A key reason for winning the award was for the role LookWest.ie plays in enhanced interaction between government services and the general public. The award is also recognition of the success of LookWest.ie in promoting the benefits and economic advantages of the West of Ireland. The website engages with an online international audience as well as being a valuable online resource for people living in the region and in other parts of Ireland. It is used by almost 20,000 people every month.

Speaking after the announcement Joanne Grehan of the WDC said: “We are absolutely delighted and I think it is particularly rewarding for LookWest.ie to be recognised in such a prestigious category and among such esteemed competition. The website was launched in 2004 and is the definitive online guide to living, working and doing business in Ireland’s Western Region. It is a one stop shop providing information about a range of topics from incubation units for new business to our skills register (http://www.lookwest.ie/skills-register) where people record their skills and experience to create a profile of the talent, qualifications and expertise available in the West. This profile of talent and experience is an important tool in attracting inward investment to the region. In times of economic constraint and job losses, it is more important than ever to continually communicate the benefits, innovation and creativity of Ireland’s Western Region so that we are well positioned to take advantage of economic recovery and LookWest.ie is critical in doing this.”

Mr. Pat Carey, T.D, Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs said: “I would like to congratulate the WDC on winning this award. LookWest.ie plays a key role in the WDC’s work of delivering balanced regional development. A strong and vibrant Western Region is good for the people in the region but also for the national economy as it is important that all regions maximise their full potential for economic and social development.”

Ms Grehan added: “I’d like to make a special acknowledgment of the designer of LookWest.ie, Jeff Kay of JDK Design in Tubbercurry, County Sligo. Originally from Lancashire, Jeff is a real LookWest.ie success story. He and his wife moved to Tubbercurry to set up their business and they have never looked back. It’s an added bonus that the website was designed and created by a West of Ireland company as it demonstrates the incredible depth of creativity that the West is known for. The WDC is a strong advocate of the importance of the creative sector as it is a major economic contributor to the region that we believe can be grown significantly, even in difficult economic times.”

Jeff sums up his experience of running a business in the West as: “My experience of doing business in the West has been very rewarding and I am very confident about the future of design in the region. Companies and organisations are increasingly appreciating that design services are integral to how they can differentiate themselves from their competitors. On the personal side, we are now part of the community in the West; there is a lot of warmth and generosity here. Life has never been busier for us, but at the end of the day, the beautiful scenery, fresh air and peaceful home calms the mind, adding to our life and job satisfaction. Our children couldn’t be brought up in a nicer area and we have never looked back!”

Winners of the Net Visionary Awards were based on votes from a group of industry expert judges as well as votes from the public. The judging panel included the Irish Internet Association, the digital division of The Irish Times and the Internet Marketing Unit of Enterprise Ireland, amongst others.

Ms Grehan thanked the Irish Internet Association who organised the awards, the judges and the people of the Western Region who voted to ensure that the West of Ireland came out on top. “It is a fantastic achievement for the West to win this prestigious award,” she said.

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For further information please contact:
Joanne Grehan, Western Development Commission, 086 856 5802
or
Angela Bane, Bane Mullarkey, 087 286 5217

The Western Development Commission (WDC) and the Sligo Business Network London (SBN) will promote Sligo and the Western Region as an attractive location for enterprise at an influential networking event for Sligo people who have made London their business base. The event, part of the WDC’s continuing work on positioning the West for economic recovery, will take place in London on June 9th and businesses based in Sligo and neighbouring counties are invited to participate by providing special promotional offers for distribution at the event.

Joanne Grehan, Regional Development Executive at the WDC said: “The WDC is delighted to partner with the SBN for this unique opportunity to engage directly with important decision makers and business interests. Many people from Sligo and surrounding counties have established successful businesses and hold senior positions in large companies in London. This event presents a great opportunity for the WDC to build on the success of LookWest.ie in promoting the Western Region as a great place to live, work and do business.”

Andy Rogers, founder and Chairman of SBN London said: “The Sligo Business Network has been growing over recent years and our activities include networking opportunities for members and encouraging investment and business start-ups in Sligo. We facilitate businesses from Sligo to promote themselves in the UK and we highlight the benefits of Sligo as an economically advantageous business location. This is also a key objective of the WDC so we are delighted to work with them in spreading that message.”

Both organisations believe that there are significant advantages to be gained from tapping into the Diaspora network based in London who can themselves act as ambassadors for the Western Region and ultimately help drive economic recovery and job creation.

The WDC welcomes the opportunity to create links with people who are actively considering a move for themselves or their business to the Western Region. “We encourage people from the West particularly those from Sligo to let their friends and relatives living in London know about the event. We also work closely with IT Sligo so their alumni in London are also encouraged to join us for the event”, Ms Grehan added.

“In the trying times of the present economy, such networking with supportive diaspora groups is a vital part of ensuring good communications and business partnering,” said Mr Rogers. He added: “As a UK member of the Global Irish Network (set up by the Government following the Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh) I believe that the London event is an integral part of the Network’s role in facilitating greater strategic and practical interaction between Ireland and leading business figures within the global Irish community.”

People interested in finding out more can contact Andy Rogers on 00 44 7785 920810 / sligobusinessnetwork@gmail.com or Joanne Grehan 086 856 5802 / joannegrehan@wdc.ie

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For further information please contact: Andy Rogers, Sligo Business Network, 00 44 7785 920810, sligobusinessnetwork@gmail.com or Joanne Grehan, Western Development Commission, 086 856 5802

RASLRES: REGIONAL APPROACHES TO STIMULATING LOCAL RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

The Western Development Commission (WDC) today met with Minister Pat Carey, Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs to formally launch the RASLRES project.

RASLRES is a €3 million multi-national European bio-energy project which seeks to grow the number of local businesses involved in the sector and is led by the Western Development Commission (WDC), Ireland with partners in Sweden, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Faroe Islands and Finland. RASLRES is funded by the INTERREG IVB – Northern Periphery Programme.

Speaking earlier today at the project launch, Ian Brannigan, Regional Development Manager WDC and RASLRES Project Lead commented; “The WDC is delighted to be leading the RASLRES project which goes to the heart of the local community by using local resources and local people to provide a complete solution for renewable energy. The project will stimulate growth in the renewable energy sector, which will benefit local communities by promoting their independence and sustainability and creating local jobs for future generations.”

Brannigan went on to state, “The call for pilot models has already been issued for wood biomass and the WDC has received considerable levels of interest from those who wish to be included in the project. Those included will effectively gain access to specialised technical and business support to enable them to launch and grow sustainable enterprises in the community. Similar efforts in other bio energy sectors e.g. marine bio and reed canary grass will be launched in the next year or so ”

“RASLRES will assist the Government in reaching its target for reducing CO2 emissions by reducing emissions with an equivalent value of 92,000 cars over the duration of the project and will also develop best practice business models which will stimulate growth in the renewable energy sector not only in Ireland but also across the partner regions.” Brannigan concluded.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Ian Brannigan
Regional Development Manager
Western Development Commission
Tel: +353 (0)94 9861893
Mobile: +353 (0)86 6048012
Email: ianbrannigan@wdc.ie

NOTE TO THE EDITOR:

• RASLRES is a project funded by the Northern Periphery Programme. The RASLRES project will:
• build awareness of opportunities for rural communities to produce and supply locally produced biomass (wood, seaweed and energy crops) to towns and cities
• provide business development support to rural biomass producing communities
• development of biomass supply chains through direct business and community engagement RASLRES is an international partnership which includes:

• Western Development Commission – Ireland

• Action Renewables – Northern Ireland, UK

• Environmental Research Institute, North Highland College – Scotland

• Municipality of Norsjö – Sweden

• Oceanrainforest Ltd – Faroe Islands

• VTT, Technical Research Centre – Finland

RASLRES will conclude with a showcase of the outputs from all partner regions in December 2012.