Irish-owned paint brand Colourtrend has announced the rollout of an initiative with Kildare Local Community Development Committee as part of the Celbridge Heritage Town Enhancement Pilot Project. The front of some shops and houses on Celbridge’s Main Street are to be given an immediate paint refresh as part of the innovative Project.
The Project will see the shops and houses on Main Street painted in a colour scheme devised by Colourtrend’s design experts, in conjunction with the local property owners, and will be painted with Colourtrend’s top quality paints. The pilot will bring together the local community, local businesses and the private company to deliver a fresh look for the County Kildare town in a model that could work well for towns all over Ireland.
The initiative is part of Kildare’s Intergrated Services Progamme’s Tourism and Heritage Plan 2016—2020 where Celbridge is identified as the ‘Gateway to Ireland’s Ancient East’. The plan aims to develop Celbridge as a leading base for heritage-based tourism activities in Ireland. Celbridge is a town rich in history as the birthplace of Arthur Guinness, the home of the Connolly family of Castletown House, the Grattan family and Jonathan Swift. An attractive village centre is seen in the plan as paramount to enable Celbridge to benefit economically from visitors to nearby heritage sites.
At the launch today of the Project, Colourtrend’s Director of Sales and Marketing Liam Holland said: “It is fitting that this Project should start in Celbridge which has been Colourtrend’s home town for over 60 years now. We’re very excited to be part of Kildare’s Town Enhancement Project and this pilot could be replicated by Councils all over Ireland to boost tourism and heritage opportunities. Colourtrend is passionate about paint and committed to helping communities all over Ireland look their best.”
Celbridge TD Frank O’Rourke, who has been one of the champions behind the Project, said the aim of the plan is to develop the town as Ireland’s leading base for heritage based tourism activities. “Kildare’s Tourism and Heritage Plan 2016—2020 rightly has Celbridge as the Gateway to Ireland’s Ancient East. I’m absolutely delighted to see this Project finally get over the finish line. It’s been a priority of mine since being on the Council and I believe it will play a positive role in developing the town into a tourism hub, not only for the county but in the region. An idyllic town centre is important to enable Celbridge to benefit economically from the rich and diverse heritage of the locality.”
Co-ordinator of Kildare Local Community Development Committee’s Integrated Services Programme, Honor Griffin said: “The Integrated Services Programme welcomes the support from Colourtrend, Kildare County Council and Deputy O’Rourke in rolling out this pilot project. The ISP undertook research in the Celbridge area to make a plan for Celbridge that would bring together community, state agency and voluntary groups to work on areas of development for the town. A Tourism and Heritage Forum was established and in 2016 the Forum produced the ISP Tourism and Heritage Plan 2016—2020 ‘Celbridge, Gateway to Ireland’s Ancient East’. The aim of the plan is to build a resilient, diverse tourism segment into the local Celbridge economy – one that retains and creates jobs, supports the growth of local businesses and improves the area’s profile as a place to live, work and visit. By investing in this pilot scheme it shows that Celbridge is ‘Open for Business’. An attractive village centre is paramount to enable Celbridge to benefit economically from visitors to nearby heritage sites.”
Chief Executive of Kildare County Council, Mr Peter Carey, said: “KCC is delighted to support this initiative which along with other measures will contribute to the enhancement of Celbridge. The Council is greatly encouraged by the positive response to the ISP and looks forward to working in partnership with the local community to develop and promote the town over the coming years. We are delighted that local company Colourtrend is part of this pilot which the Council hopes will be the first of a number of phases to improve the appearance and visual impact of the town centre.”
Mr Holland of Colourtrend added: “We are extremely excited to see this work happening in Colourtrend’s home town. Working with the local community has been incredibly rewarding over the years and we’ve always had positive engagement with local businesses. This is a welcome coming together for the town.”