A Laois man has been recognised for his unique digital contribution to local town.
Robbie Quinn from Abbeyleix has been shortlisted for the national ‘Local Hero’ award in the .IE Digital Town Awards 2021.
These awards were launched earlier this year to honour local town projects and people that have demonstrated how digital projects have contributed to enhancements or digital improvements in a range of areas.
These include health, tourism, education, public services, employment opportunities, citizen empowerment, and social entrepreneurship.
Robbie is the chairman of Abbeyleix Tidy Towns and has been heavily involved in a range of projects in the town over the years.
Most recently, he has spearheaded the drive for a ground-breaking new Climate Action Walk.
Robbie’s contributions to town are not just limited to social projects – as he is keenly involved in his local GAA club too.
Robbie managed Abbeyleix to win the minor hurling championship last year and is a very active member of the club.
Shortlisted projects cover the full spectrum of those who are early in their digital journey right up to very sophisticated projects and all are in with the chance of winning one of 14 awards and a share of the €100,000 total prize fund.
Eleven of the awards will be given directly to individual town projects, with a further three special awards recognising a Digital Changemaker, Digital Rising Star, and a Digital Hero.
Following a competitive selection process by an independent judging panel, the wide-ranging list of shortlisted towns includes projects in sustainability, automation, cultural diversity, social inclusion, and promoting local business.
The overall winners will be announced at the inaugural virtual Awards Ceremony which will take place on June 10.
Commenting on the announcement, Oonagh McCutcheon, Corporate Communications Manager at .IE said: “We are proud to announce our shortlist of projects for this year’s inaugural .IE Digital Town Awards.
“The .IE Digital Town Awards want to recognise the good work and achievements of towns across Ireland who have utilised digital technologies to create new ways of doing things, promote innovation and to breathe new life into local communities.
“What is evident from the projects that were submitted for this year’s awards is that towns up and down the country have an extraordinary sense of resourcefulness and spirit.
“Those shortlisted in today’s announcement have demonstrated impressive digital improvements and enhancements in their local town, and the .IE Digital Town awards aims to ‘shine a light’ on these efforts.
“We look forward to celebrating these town and community achievements with all our finalists at the special virtual awards event next month.”
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