Acorn Women's Group

Public benefits

Purpose 1 The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include providing local rural women at risk of isolation with many learning and developmental opportunities. It is an opportunity for local women to meet and build important relationships; for women to share their experiences and learn from each other; develop new life skills and have a

positive impact on their health and wellbeing. The importance of women actively participating within local communities is well documented within much public research. Feedback from women who through evaluations also provide evidence that our work has a positive impact. Attendance and participation is also a good barometer of success. There is no possibility of harm within our work. The beneficiaries of our work include rural women living in the Clogher Valley. We welcome women from all religious backgrounds and all ages. The only benefit identified would be that Trustees are also at times participants within the programmes delivered. They do not however receive any preferential treatment to non Trustees and as such this benefit could only be considered incidental. Purpose 2 The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include providing young children aged 3-12 years, through pre-school and after school provision, with a warm and caring environment in which they can learn and develop. Children are able to develop important skills which can have a positive impact on their personal and social development. They are able to be inspired by highly skilled and trained staff to can ensure they reach their full potential in life. The importance of early intervention with young people is well documented within much research available in the public domain. Department of Education, Early Years and Playboard have both undertaken extensive research in this area. Their work backs us the positive impact that high quality provision can make on young people’s personal and social development. Children also provide feedback from their activities and staff use observations to track the individual progression and development of each child. There is no possibility of harm within our work. The beneficiaries of our work include children aged 3-12 years living in the Clogher Valley. The only benefit identified would be that Trustees may have children who access the services provided. They do not however receive any preferential treatment to non-Trustees and as such this benefit could only be considered incidental. Purpose 3 Through our work we have provide and maintain important facilities which can be used for educating young children within our community. The other benefit is that parents are provided with the peace of mind of having high quality, accessible and affordable provision within their own community. This means they can then choose to access/pursue training and employment opportunities which may have not previously been possible, therefore reducing poverty and disadvantage within rural families. The importance of having good quality childcare provision in place within communities is well documented within much research available in the public domain. It is widely reported that not having this type of provision in place is a major barrier to parents accessing employment and/or training opportunities. Evaluations and feedback from parents is also an important way in which our work can be validated. There is no possibility of harm within our work. The beneficiaries of our work include rural families within the Clogher Valley area. The only benefit identified would be that Trustees may have children who access the services provided. They do not however receive any preferential treatment to non Trustees and as such this benefit could only be considered incidental.

What your organisation does

We run a playgroup for preschool children across the community.