Slane's new Hub a focus for village life

Junior Minister Shane McEntee officially opened the Slane Community Hub as part of the Slane Local Heroes Initiative last Saturday. The Hub, as it is known, has become a focus for village life and is open seven days a week, providing information to locals and visitors alike on activities and events in the community. A tourism officer has recently been appointed and the Hub has quickly become a magnet for the many tourists that throng to this heritage village. Funding for the Hub was secured from the Meath Partnership Renaissance Fund, which encourages the enhancement of villages. Support for the Hub is also provided by local businesses who see it as essential to the further growth and development of the village. Slane Local Heroes are also grateful to Tús which have provided the staff. On declaring the Hub officially open, Mr McEntee said he "was delighted to see local communities coming together in this way to promote and revitalise their localities. Slane Community Forum and the Slane Local Heroes initiative are to be applauded for the way that they have encouraged people to volunteer their time and to get involved in the future direction of their home," he said. Joanne Macken, chairperson of the Slane Local Heroes, added: "Slane is very lucky to have such beautiful natural resources as well as a wealth of historical and noted heritage sites. It is easy to forget how special they are when they are on our own doorstep. Slane Local Heroes is about promoting Slane as a viable and vibrant place in which both to live and visit and the Hub forms a vital part of this." The opening of the Hub is just one of many initiatives that the village can expect over the coming months, with work being carried out to develop the heritage, tourism and enterprise aspects of the village. Cllr Wayne Harding welcomed the official opening of the facility. "The community must be highly commended for this initiative. These are difficult times and the effort that has gone into this office has been immense. It will be open seven days a week and staffed by two Tús workers and one tourist information officer. "The idea of the Hub is based on the Drogheda Local Heroes Hub, where the community can get information on back to work schemes and courses, or information on local tradespeople and upcoming events in the area. The tourist information element is very welcome and much needed in promoting Slane's fantastic amenities," he said. Cllr Harding said he would be calling on Meath Tourism to assist this initiative in every way possible "as any community that achieves this in a voluntary capacity deserves all the help they can get".