Local projects benefit from £7.5m rural fund

RURAL Affairs Minister, Edwin Poots, has visited several projects in west Tyrone to see firsthand how a £7.5million programme is benefiting rural businesses and communities.

Thanks to the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme, Fermanagh and Omagh Local Action Group (FOLAG) has been investing the money into village renewal projects, rural businesses and basic services projects, including a meeting place for community usage.

During his visits, Mr Poots saw how specialist construction and civil engineering company, Alexander Plant Ltd, Omagh, received almost £52,000 towards project costs of £104,000 to help buy equipment to maintain and service all of their plant and equipment on site.

This work, which was previously carried out off site by external suppliers meant the business continued to excel and was able to employ additional staff.

The Minister also saw at first-hand, improvements made across Trillick village, which received almost £44,000 from the fund towards a total project cost of £58,000.

These included the construction of a three-stone sculpture as an entrance feature to the village, the improvement of the footpath between the Leisure Centre and Woodview Crescent and revitalisation initiatives, which included new planters, a notice board, benches and bins and the installation of a tractor sculpture in Main Street.

Mr Poots said, “It is fantastic to see how the entire community is benefiting from this £7.5million funding. These investments will create employment and provide enhanced community facilities and services for both young and old.”