Skibbereen Credit Union is a proud supporter of our local community. Not only do we support the people of West Cork by providing savings and competitive lending, we also support local organisations through sponsorship. This year, we call on all the people of West Cork to continue to support their community by shopping locally, and here we provide our Top 10 Reasons why local is better.

1. It stimulates the local economy

When you buy something from a local business in West Cork, instead of from an international company or online, your money stays in the community and stimulates the local economy. Local businesses will buy from other local businesses and service providers, which in turn adds to growth and job creation in West Cork.

2. Local Charities Reap the Rewards

Many West Cork charities rely on donations from local businesses. When local businesses are doing well, they are able to donate more to local charities that help our community.

3. Unique West Cork Businesses Create Character

By supporting local businesses, you are creating an opportunity for unique business to grow and prosper. This adds character to our community, and acts as a great incentive for more people to visit and shop in the area.

4. It’s Good for our Environment

Shopping local means less travel over long distances, which means less cars on the road, which reduces the impact on the environment. Many local businesses are situated in a central location, which means you can park the car and still have easy access to everywhere you need to go in one trip!

5. It Generates New Jobs

Supporting local businesses helps to create and maintain job. When we shop in local businesses, local businesses need to hire more people to keep up with demand. Every jobs created in West Cork means one less person emigrating.

6. Excellent Local Customer Service

A local business owner will be far more passionate about their work and serving the needs of the local community than a large company with headquarters overseas. As a result, you will find better customer service and a more personal approach with more familiar faces.

7. Local Business Owners Invest In Local Community

Local businesses are owned and run by people with a vested interest in the community. Supporting local businesses means that they will invest in the community, making West Cork a better place for people to live and work in.

8. Benefits outweigh Costs

Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure compared to the larger chain stores and big businesses. The cost of setting up a small local business to the public is generally a lot less than setting up a large chain store. Smaller stores can set up in existing buildings, meaning less empty premises in our towns, and are far quicker to open than a large store that needs a new building constructed – which also leads to increased traffic and noise during construction.

9. Competition and Diversity Leads To Better Choice

One large shop with a monopoly will have less choice than several smaller ones. A community with a large number of small local businesses allows for more competition to help keep prices fair and provide a wider choice of products and services to local consumers.

10. You Matter

At Skibbereen Credit Union, our members matter. This applies to local businesses too. Each customer is important to a local business, so local businesses value their customers more than large chain stores and will respond to your needs and desires to create a wonderful local shopping experience for the entire community.

It’s time again to start preparing your child for the new school year. While your children might be more pre-occupied with the loss of their free time over the Summer holidays and the prospect of homework, parents will have many big purchasing decisions to make. With a recent ILCU survey finding that the cost of a child returning to school to be around €400, and 1 in 20 parents needing to borrow to cover the costs, Skibbereen Credit Union has some tips to help ease the burden and let you focus at getting your child ready without the stress.

The biggest cost any parent will face each year is the school uniform. We all know that there is a lot or wear and tear when it comes to our children’s clothes, especially with their uniform that they wear 5 days a week. Reducing the cost involved in a uniform can end up saving you a lot of money.

Most school jumpers have a crest on them, so you will need to buy this from the main suppliers, but shirts and trousers can be bought almost anywhere at a fraction of the cost. Shop around for any of the generic uniform items. Ties can also be part of a school uniform, but should last longer as it won’t need to be replaced as your child grows.

Buy a high quality schoolbag. It will last longer, and can be passed down to younger siblings or cousins as your child ages and moves onto secondary school where they’ll need a bigger bag to keep up with their workload.

Buying school stationery in bulk will also save money in the long term. Copybooks and pens don’t have an expiry date, and it’s often cheaper to buy them in bulk than individually.

If you want to set up a savings plan for your child’s education, then Skibbereen Credit Union is the place for you.  

Looking for something to do this month? Be sure to check out these local festivals and events coming up in August!

The launch of the 142 registration plate lead to the biggest day in car sales in six years, according to SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry). 4,264 were registered on the first day of 142 registration sales, compared to 1,924 cars on the first day of 132 registration sales.

New car sales were up by 23% in the first half of the year, which is far more than was sold in all of 2013. Cork has seen a 27.5% increase in new car sales in the first six months of 2014 as compared worth the same time in 2013. It is expected that this trend will continue for the second half of the year.

There are many options for financing your new car. If you are considering buying a new car this year, why not borrow from Skibbereen Credit Union. We currently offer a New Car Loan with a rate of 5.99%, which is one of the cheapest rates in the marketplace to own your car. Come into one of our offices in Skibbereen, Schull or Drimoleague to talk to a member of staff, or call us on 028-21883. And don't forget, you can use our Loan Calculator to see your potential repayments or even apply for your loan online.

Looking for something to do this month? Be sure to check out these local festivals and events coming up in the next two weeks!

Have an event you want us to mention? Email treasurer@skibbereencu.ie or call 028-21833.

Congratulations to St Josephs Girls National School, Skibberreen on winning The Under 11's section in the Cork Chapter Quiz on Sunday 4th March. With over 20 teams taking part it was a close battle all the way ending with a tiebreaker between Skibbereen and Clonakilty with Skibbereen ultimately winning out. St Josephs Girls N. S. will now go on to represent  Skibbereen Credit Union at the National Finals in the RDS on Sunday 1st  April.

Also taking part in the Chapter Quiz was St Patricks Boys National School, Skibbereen who also did us proud on the day.  

We would like to send our deepest congratulations to the Skibbereen RFC J1 & J2 teams on their amazing current form. Both teams are undefeated and top of the league! 

The J2's had a great win on Sunday, the November 6th at Mill Road, while the J1 team won an exciting game against Waterpark on the same day.

Next weekend will see them facing the Old Christans in Rathcooney who won against Skibbereen in the nailbiting County Cup final last season. Best of luck from all at Skibbereen Credit Union.

On October 15th, Skibbereen's First Friendly Business Awards took place at the West Cork Hotel. The night was hosted by Apprentice winner Steve Rayner.

Congratulations to all the worthy winners:

Best Public Building -The Fire Station

Best Professional Building -Liam O’Donovan Solicitors

Best Exterior Appearance – Kearney’s Well

Best New Business – Yellow House Montessori

Best Small Business – Sean Murray’s

Best Large Business – West Cork Hotel

Skibbereen’s Friendliest Employee – Brendan O’Brien. Field’s SuperValu

On September 14th the 'Celtic Cook off' will take place at the West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen.

Chefs from the five Celtic territories (Scotland, Isle of Man, Ireland, Cornwall, Wales & Brittany) will take part in a cooking competition. In the style of the TV show, 'Ready, Steady Cook', the chefs willl need to impress both you (the public) and the judges to win. This is sure to be a fun event for all to witness. Good luck to those taking part!

Where: The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen.

When: Wednesday, September 14th.

Time: Doors open at 7pm.

Tickets: €10. (Available at the West Cork Hotel reception from Monday, August 22nd).
 

For more information take a look at the West Cork Hotels Blog.

We are delighted to announce Liam Hayes is the winner of our June Youth Awards.

Liam Hayes Youth Award Winner

Liam is one of the most talented Special Olympic players in the country and recently won a Gold Medal in the Munster Special Olympic Games without dropping a set. Liam also plays within the West Cork Rankings and represents Rossa College in the West Cork Schools League.

Liam’s Coach, Owen Kelly, had these words to say of him  ” he  is outstanding in many ways but his enthusiasm and dedication to his chosen sport is remarkable. He is a valued member of the Skibbereen Table Tennis Club and rickly deserves to have his sportsmanship and abaility recongised.

All of us here in Skibbereen Credit Union will continue to watch  Liam’s career with interest and wish him every success in the future