|
 BNS
was successful in its application to administer one of the pilot programme areas
and on the 13th of May 1992 a contract was signed between BNS and the Minister
of Agriculture giving the new LEADER agency the responsibility for EI£2.2
million to grant-aid projects and processes in a large part of the south east
region, including all of counties Carlow and Kilkenny, approximately half of Tipperary
South Riding and large parts of south Laois and Kildare.
The
Board of BNS, as with all LAGs, comprises of representatives of the various stakeholders
in rural development. Typically they are nominees of other agencies, community
representatives and members of the nominees of farm/ rurally based organisations
and business interests. During the Board's lifetime, members are expected to rotate
off at selected intervals to make way for new nominees.
LEADER 1 was
primarily project based and BNS helped 168 individual project promoters with grant
aid in that period. However BNS was also aware of the need for assistance to individaulas
and groups to allow them to build their capacity to avail of their inherent talents
and the opportunities available to them. Grant-aid and personal assistance to
such 'capacity building' projects was to become even more a feature of BNS's mission
in LEADER II with an increasing emphasis on training and education of all sorts. |
