Cllr Winston Bennett is very proud of his home town.

Bundles of praise for community

Fine Gael Councillor Winston Bennett stated that Ballinagh not only survived the lockdown but “has developed” throughout the pandemic.

He told the Celt that 15 new houses were being developed on the Cavan side of the town as well as four new houses located near the football field, which are “just about to open”.

He praised Kristijan Kodric’s new business ‘The Vanilla Bean Patisserie’, which is located at the top of the town.

“I’d like to welcome him to Ballinagh and I’d like to congratulate him on getting onto the ‘Grow with Aldi’ programme,” he said.

“It’s another milestone for Ballinagh,” added Cllr Bennett.

There is a great community spirit in the town, he said.

“I’d like to commend the Community Employment Scheme on the work they do in keeping Ballinagh tidy and clean and also the Tidy Towns committee.”

Cllr Bennett is looking forward to seeing hanging flower baskets back in the town, which he says gives the main street a great lift.

Also adding to the town’s aesthetics is the Ballinagh Riverbank Scheme, which offers a beautiful walk along the river with a seated picnic area. This development was funded by the Ballinagh Community Enterprise Association through various grants.

“It’s a lovely asset to the town where people can sit out,” said Cllr Bennett.

There has been extensive work done inside and out on the community centre, which he also praised and welcomed.

Cllr Bennett said it is brilliant to see children back in the playground and promoted the Fleming’s Folly walk as a “Godsend” throughout lockdown.

“The amount of people who walked up to Fleming’s Folly daily was unbelievable.”

He congratulated Phil McGahern on becoming Commissioner of Oaths and praised the work done by Cavan County Council on the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Investment Scheme.

“It was a good initiative and well done to all involved. We’ll see that in progress in the coming weeks.”

While he’s delighted to see the town opening up more and more, Cllr Bennett sounded a cautionary note.

“People are starting to move out, but we have to adhere to the rules,” he warned, stating that we do not want to go back into lockdown again.

“Hopefully between now and September, we’ll get opened up and we can get back to some normality.

“I wish all the businesses in Ballinagh and indeed all over well in their re-opening.”