At the Farmers Market today, September 27th, 2020 Steven from Clonmellon community radio buying a few bits from Richard at CBD-Evolve.ie. People sometimes don't have time with their busy lives to research the great benefits of Hemp but it's an incredible miracle food that grows so vastly and is very versatile.
Circle of white light radio recently made a donation of €250 to the men's shed Clonmellon. Circle of white light try to raise awareness and support for deserving local groups who are doing their bit for the community who could do with a few euro to help them with their projects. C.O.W.L. also made a donation of €250 to the local Tidy Towns committee to assist them to buy plants or much needed equipment etc.
See below for more information on the C.O.W.L. "Pay it forward" project and how you can get involved.
“Pay It Forward” is a facility where people can donate €1 Euro a month which will go towards assisting individuals, Groups and Clubs who may be struggling financially and may need a helping hand to cover an outstanding bill or require funding to help others.
This solution is very simple and gives the power back to the people to help each other without the need for any interaction with the Government. Imagine if 100,000 people donated €1 Euro a month? How many people would that be able to help on a monthly basis.
“Pay It Forward” is all about need not greed, so administration costs will be kept to a minimum so the maximum amount of donations can be allocated to helping people rather than paying for overpaid CEO’s and staff which most people have read about regarding a number of well-known charities that have been in the media.
Since December 2019, we have donated over €2000 Euros to worthwhile causes. Thank you for all your support and donations.
If you would like to help by donating €1 Euro a month and support the Circle Of White Light Radio "Pay It Forward" appeal, please click on the following link: Pay It Forward Donation
Here are some of the projects and people, that Circle of white light have helped and donated towards.
Donations Allocated
March 2020 - The Men's Shed, Clonmellon
The Men’s Shed aims to support men who want to improve their physical and mental health within the comfortable, familiar environment of their own shed and also help to develop their skills and sharing their knowledge with other shed members. We all have something to bring to the table. Shed members have a choice to work on their own projects, work on commissioned projects or they might just want to come in, sit down and have a cup of tea and a chat. There is no expectancy for any member to get involved in any projects. You do what you want suits you. Circle Of White Light Radio made a donation to the shed which they really appreicated as funding is very limited and they have costs to cover like electricity and insurance. In the picture is Barry receiving the cheque. Read More
February 2020 - Feed The People Homeless Charity
The winter of 2020 was not very nice and the voluntary group, Feed The Homeless, did not have the facilities to have the food undercover and away from the elements. So thanks to the people who donated to the €1 Euro appeal, Circle Of White Light Radio purchased a gazebo for the charity. This now provides cover for the volunteers and also for the homeless people when selecting their food. Read More
January 2020 - Integrity Ireland
In mid-2012, seven concerned citizens met to discuss their experiences. Each had, in one way or another, tried to bring a complaint to various Irish authorities - about the improper or illegal activities of other authority figures or, of certain ‘well-connected persons’ in Irish society. The responses they received were shocking - by any standards. Not only were the complaints not properly addressed, but each of these law-abiding citizens suddenly found themselves the target of unjust, prejudicial and intimidatory tactics by the very authorities they had approached for help and assistance. Some were ignored or obstructed. Others were harassed and threatened. Some became victims of sinister smear campaigns or were arrested without proper cause, and others, trying to seek assistance from their elected representatives or statutory oversight bodies were likewise treated with contempt. For some, this abuse spans many years. Finally, seeking redress through the Courts, they found themselves subject to unbelievably prejudicial and unjust decisions - despite overwhelming evidence in their favour. Shocked, appalled and disillusioned at the manner in which individual citizens could be targeted and abused in this way by highly-paid authority figures, a collective decision was made to take a stand. Circle Of White Light Radio are happy to support Stephen and the team for the work that they do to expose the legal system and the issues that people may face when going into court. Read More
January 2020 - The Hub, Ireland
The aim of The Hub-Ireland is to help people with their court case because the system is weighted against them and the Litigant in Person and to help people stay in their homes. To empower people, through self-help and our 100% support. Byron and Adrienne have helped so many people for free, so they deserve to be supported and Circle Of White Light Radio was happy to make a donation to the Hub to help towards the office rental costs. Read More
December 2019 - Heating Oil Request
As we all know, the winters in Ireland can be very cold. We received a request from a couple of people regarding the need for heating oil and the fact that they were not in a financial position to afford to buy any. So Circle Of White Light Radio purchased two loads of heating oil and arranged for them to be delivered. For GDPR reasons, we will be keeping the peoples names private. Read More
December 2019 - Feed The People Homeless Charity
Feed The People are a charity that provide food for the Homeless in Dublin city. Throught he €1 Euro appeal, Circle Of White Light Radio donated towards the purchase of food and essentials for the Charity. We meet with Geraldine and Rebecca in Aldi, Navan and helped them with the shopping. Thank you to all the team at Feed The Homeless for taking the time and energy to feed the homeless on a weekly basis. These roles are voluntary and unpaid, so well done. Thanks also to Mandy from THI for her support and coming down to help Geraldine and Rebecca to do the food run. Read More
Current Projects
June 2020 - Helping The Elderly Communicate via PMR Radio
THE CHALLENGE In Ireland today the numbers of older people are growing – the number of people aged between 60 and 85 + grew from 590,000 in 2002 to 650,000 in 2006, an increase of 60,000 or just over 10%. There are also estimated to be between 150,000 and 200,000 people in Ireland who have restricted mobility. Of these some 2,500 to 5,000 are confined to bed while a further 16,000 to 26,000 are wheelchair users. Society today is less likely to care for older and housebound people and impaired mobility can often mean loneliness for older and housebound people, particularly in rural areas. For many older and housebound people the telephone, either landline or mobile, is their main or only connection with the outside world but, despite government assistance with their phone bills, many older and housebound people can find it difficult to meet ongoing telephone bills and as they can be afraid of incurring bills they cannot meet, many are very careful in the extent to which they use their phones. THE RESPONSE The "In The Loop" project is hoping to provide individual older or housebound people with access to a mobile CB radio which, once the cost of installation is paid, is totally free to use. CB radios can offer high quality sound transmission within a radius of up to 10 kilometres. The radios are not dependent on electricity so even in power cuts users can have ongoing communication with the outside world. A special feature of In The Loop is the establishment of a cluster of older or housebound people who share a dedicated radio frequency which allows them to create their own connected community. This cluster should ideally be facilitated and supported by a voluntary or community group whose members can use the radio to make regular contacts with members of the cluster and who can hold regular on-line “chat shows” for members of the cluster so increasing their level of contact with others and reducing social isolation. THE CURRENT STATUS Alan James from Circle Of White Light Radio and Steve George from Open Your Mind Radio and Twos Company Radio are currently doing a feasibility study to make sure that the proposed radio equipment will be powerful and adequate enough to cover the range required for the selected village. Once this study is carried out, Circle Of White Light Radio will initially fund the project. If the project is successful, we will then promote it via the media and approach the Government for funding to be able to offer radio to all elderly people in the village. UPDATE 06/06/2020 Myself and Steve did some testing today to see how good the radio signals are from one side of the village to the other. We were impressed with the coverage of the test radios, but for elderly people who live on the outskirts of the village, we might need to install an external antenna to boost their signal. What we might do is select three people closer to the center of the village, which would work for the trial. So we need to speak to the active age group to see who we can use for the trail, one modersator and two users. Once we have this sorted, we will then purchase the radios and the accessories. Read More
June 2020 - Feed The People Homeless Charity
HUNT VEHICLES BLOCK FOOTPATH
Once again several individuals involved with a hunt in Clonmellon on the border between Meath and Westmeath lack the foresight to park their vehicles somewhere other than on a footpath where their vehicles hinder members of the public from using the public footpath. This practice is commonplace in Clonmellon every time their is a hunt on. As can be seen from the images below a person wheeling a pram or somebody in a wheelchair or worse still a person with little or no vision would have difficulty passing these vehicles without the need for stepping onto the road.
NCBI’s #Clear our Paths campaign was launched 13th May. The campaign urges members of the public to think about the obstacles on our footpaths that make safe and independent travel difficult for people with sight loss. These include cars parked on footpaths, wheelie bins, election posters, overhanging branches, dog litter and bicycles tied to poles. Obstacles such as these can lead to injury and make each journey more difficult for someone with low or no vision.
Members of the public are largely unaware of the implications of their actions. For example, parking on a footpath for a quick dash into the shop leaves a person who is blind or vision impaired with no other choice but to walk out onto the road and into an unfamiliar and unsafe space.
Watch our video showing the difficulties that people with impaired vision face on a daily basis, as they try to navigate their way through towns and cities countrywide: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aTsSn6_KI
The sole aim of our campaign is to encourage everyone to play their part and keep footpaths clear of temporary obstacles which have a significant negative impact on the almost 55,000 people living with sight loss in Ireland. Simple actions such as cleaning up after their dogs, respecting the traffic laws and not parking on footpaths, taking in their bins after collection and trimming overhanging branches. These are not onerous requests, and the difference they make to someone with sight loss is impossible to quantify.
Noreen Carter, who has a vision impairment, gives an account of her daily journey to navigate the obstacles on the footpath:
“As I venture into town from my house I first encounter a bicycle on the footpath. I am grateful for my white cane. It is a lifesaver because one trip can change the course of my life and lead to further disability. I continue on and encounter a full wheelie bin right in the middle of the path. I have no choice but to step off the path and onto the road to get by. Further down the road, a huge briar is hanging down gets caught in my hair. I am lucky it could have been my eye. A little distance on, there is a huge jeep totally blocking the path and once again I have to step off the path onto the road. And finally, disgustingly I slip on dog litter.
I think if the general public were aware of their actions they would be more mindful. All of the above obstacles could have been avoided so that people who are blind and visually impaired could instead have had a pleasant and safe journey. Let’s have a stress-free and safe zone on our footpaths”.
Bianca Young, an NCBI service user in Dundalk, Co Louth says that “Cars” parking up on the footpath in Dundalk town makes it impossible for me and other people with disabilities to squeeze past. Sometimes, I have to step off the footpath onto the road which can be very daunting”.
SOURCE: https://www.ncbi.ie/clear-our-paths/
The fifth province is delivered to each home throughout Clonmellon free of charge. It is published as part of the action plan and is a means of improving communication in our community and is an opportunity to promote local clubs, groups and other issues of interest. For those ex-pats no longer living in our village you can download a pdf copy of the magazine here.
Issue Number 2 July / August 2019 - DOWNLOAD
Issue Number 3 September / October 2019 - DOWNLOAD
Clonmellon Community Radio is a not-for-profit, independent, friendly, community online radio station giving voice to all in Clonmellon via the world wide web. We are committed to educate, entertain and inform through our wide range of programmes.
People who listen to Clonmellon Community Radio will hear programmes containing something of
local interest. They will find the members of the station accessible and approachable.
They will hear a laid back,’ ordinary person’ presentation style, and have access to local news, sports and information as well as specialist music shows.
We are putting out the feelers to see if there are any residents who may be interested in being part of a community station as either presenters, researchers, producers, editors etc.
Are you interested in being part of this community project and feel you have something to offer?
We will at a future date offer podcasting classes to show you how to record and edit your show and get it ready for transmission.
If you are interested in being part of this worthwhile project please contact us.
We were streaming live from the men's shed in Clonmellon during the Potato festival and have many of the podcasts on our website..
Speaking of our website, why not head on over and check it out Clonmellon Community Radio.
Clonmellon Community Action Plan 2018 - 2022
"A public meeting took place on 31st January 2018, chaired by Westmeath County Council and independent consultants Future Analytics. A draft Clonmellon Community Action Plan 2018-2022 has been drawn up by the consultants in conjunction with the members of the Stakeholders Committee (made up of members of our community) and includes many of the issues raised on the night by those in attendance.
All residents of Clonmellon should read the Action Plan draft and are encouraged to give feedback and make comments on it. You can read it in full here. Alternatively, a copy can be requested by email from Paula Coonan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it."
Click Here to View the Plan
HUNT BLOCKS VILLAGE FOOTPATH - 13/01/2018
Today saw a hunt in the village and as usual at least one vehicle parks on the footpath and blocks it for pedestrians. As can be seen from the image below the offending vehicle and trailer is blocking the footpath although not completely, pedestrians are able to manouvre around the vehicle however a parent pushing a pram would need to move onto the unfinished surface to pass and wheelchair users would have no chance.
On this particular stretch of road there is only one footpath so pedestrians cannot cross over the road. It seems this is a regular occurance whenever there is a hunt on. This behaviour should not be tolerated and pedestrians, parents and wheelchair users need to make their voice heard by contacting the gardai in delvin and reporting the offence. This is a public footpath for use by pedestrians.
Christmas fayre 2017
On Friday, December 1st there was a Christmas fayre held in the market Square with everything from fake snow to homemade gifts aswell as tasty homemade food and beverages to warm the cockles of every heart. With a mix of young and young at heart it was great to see so many people turn out to witness and be part of the switching on of the Christmas lights.. Santa arrived at 7pm and was a great hit with the children, he used the mens shed as his grotto which was literally transformed from a working mens shed to an amazing santas grotto complete with 2 elves and a magical fireplace. Joan Daly did a great job as compere for the evening and she kept all the old favoutite Christmas songs playing to keep everybody in the festive mood. Thanks also to everybody who volunteered with all the preparation that went into creating such a magical fayre.
If anybody has photographs they wish to share please email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
