South Mayo retail voucher reaches over €1 million in sales

A BUSINESS voucher scheme launched to boost businesses in South Mayo has generated over €1 million in sales.

Ninety-eight businesses in Ballinrobe and the surrounding areas have benefitted from the Lakes Card, which was launched in 2020 to support local businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lakes Card vouchers can only be redeemed at businesses in the South Mayo area which have signed up for the scheme.

Announcing the milestone of €1 million in sales in Devour Bakery in Ballinrobe on Facebook, former Chairman of Ballinrobe Community Development Council, Pat Donnellan, said the Lakes Card had gone ‘far beyond our expectations’.

Local businessman Richard Burke, who runs M&B Dry Cleaners, thanked all the local businesses who had given their support to the Lakes Card.

“It’s huge what it has done for town to keep the money local,” said Mr Burke.

“We know probably the guts of half a million of these vouchers would have gone to the multinationals. This money is staying in Ballinrobe, in South Mayo, in Cong, in Cross, in Clonbur. We’re all benefitting from this, so I just wanted to say thanks to everyone. It has made a huge difference to town, and it has kept small shops going in January and February when there is nothing else.”

Davy Walsh, a member of the Lakes Card Committee, hailed the ‘phenomenal effort’ made by local businesses in supporting the Lakes Card scheme.

Cornamona-based ECC Timber has already given out €500,000 worth of Lakes Cards as staff rewards since 2020.

Local county councillor Michael Burke described the €1 million in sales as ‘a fantastic figure’.

“It will be spent in our community, in the broader community, not just Ballinrobe. It’s all in our locality and in striking distance of the town,” said Cllr Burke.

“A small little committee came together in 2020 and they said they hoped to raise about €100,000 a year as a target. We’re at a multiple of that at this stage and I think it’s just a fantastic achievement for the town and for the people involved.

“It goes back to the old adage of John F Kennedy’s words in a different way. ‘Ask not what your town can do for you, ask what you can do for it’. I think that’s what it’s all about.”

Lakes Cards can be purchased from Martin Murphy Newsagent and Jewellers in Ballinrobe.