Building Thriving Communities

Clúid’s mission is to providing quality housing and services to enable people to create homes and thriving communities. This can only be achieved through collaboration. Is there a better way to see an example of collaboration, but through the lens of community engagement. Below are some examples of community actions that support in building the thriving communities that Clúid are seeking in their mission. Each example shows how unique each community that Clúid work in are. Each community has its own needs, wants, and has different ways of interacting with each other. When we celebrate communities, we also celebrate the differences that they have with each other.

Parkside Gardens
Parkside Gardens is a mixed tenure community, comprising ten Clúid homes, Longford CoCo homes and private residences. Conor and his family are Clúid residents for the last fifteen years in Parkside. Conor is an extremely active member of the community and currently takes the lead with estate upkeep, planting, weeding, and in more recent years creating a biodiversity area (which comes to life every summer). The biodiversity space is along the entrance of the estate, complete with composting area which is used to fertilise the flower beds each year.

Conor recently spoke with his housing officer to outline the reasons why he feels it is important to take pride in not only the home that you live in, but to try and have the best estate that you can.

“All the residents in the estate, be they from Clúid or the council, have pulled together to try and make the estate look the best it can. We have installed sleepers as raised beds and plant up the beds every year. There are loads of work involved, weeding the beds and kerbs, mowing the grass, cutting back the trees and bushes. It can seem endless at times; but it’s great to give the sense of community to all the children in the area.”

This is clearly a notable example of how community members come together. They collectively decided the needs of the local environment as well as divided tasks among each other. As you can see in the pictures, they are certainly on the way of creating a sustainable, thriving community.

White Oaks
On 30th April 2024 the Easter Bunny Ben arrived at White Oaks in his bunny mobile with his new wife Barbie. 100 excited children and their parents and grandparents watched as Ben and Barbie arrived with easter eggs for everyone.

While Ben and Barbie Bunny were on the estate, they had great fun and adventure with the young people living on the estate. They held an egg and spoon race around the green with all the young people. The young people excitedly chased the bunnies to the finish line. They then danced the Bunny hoky poky with the children. The children laughed and danced with delight before getting some nice photos and their easter egg from Ben and Barbie. The 2 bunnies then drove off into the sunset together but promised to be back next easter for a visit to all the amazing children in White Oaks.

Cullenbeg Park
On the 4th of April 2024, the residents in Cullenbeg Park, Mountmellick, Co. Laois all pulled together for an annual spring clean initiative ran by Laois County Council, who supplied materials such a litter picks, bin bags and gloves. Adults and children alike came out to get the area ‘summer ready’. Everyone got involved by picking up all the litter around the estate, grass verges were edged perfectly, and the kerbsides weeded and cleaned up.

Laois Partnership supported us on the day, they provided window boxes, soil and flowers for all residents to make up some colourful window boxes to bring home, the children really seemed to love this. Laois Partnership also gave the children an activity pack to keep them busy during the Easter holidays, the pack included: a book, a baking kit and some arts and crafts.

Clúid organised for an ice-cream van to be onsite to provide ice-cream and refreshments for all the volunteers on the day, which went down a treat.

If you have an event taking place in your community and you would like to share it with the wider Clúid community, please contact the Resident Engagement team by emailing myvoice@cluid.ie. If you are interested in setting up a residence association also people do not hesitate to contact the Resident Engagement team as we would be happy to support, you in your communities’ journey of setting up a resident association.