News

Are you curious about starting a Social Enterprise? Looking at developing your Community Group into a Profit for Purpose business model? This 8-session, blended learning programme will involve training and mentoring in the key fundamentals of developing and building a resilient Social Enterprise. The programme is presented free to participants but full attendance at all 8 modules is a requirement to secure a place. Scan the QR Code to register or check out the link The Social Foundry Register Your Interest Modules covered include: Sales & Marketing Climate Action for Social Enterprise Governance That Works Building a Website Financial Fitness Funding / Procurement Business Planning The Perfect Pitch This is what our participants in 2025 said about the programme: "Really good, clear and excellently presented and broken down with very easy to understand examples." "Extremely relevant knowledgeable (trainers) and inspiring." "Absolutely fantastic. Excellent explanation. Was brilliantly taught and demonstrated." For further information contact Amy Orr on aorr@buion.ie  

Buíon Phort Láirge Annual Outomes Report 2025 was launched on Thursday 18th June at the Waterford Chamber Business After Hours Event held in our new offices on O'Connell Street. The report details our programme and service delivery over the year, sharing testimonials and stories from some of our programme participants as well as data and information on the number of supports to people delivered throughout the year. For example: 1,272 local people were supported by our SICAP staff (Social Inclusion & Community Activation) to improve their quality of life through accessing employment training, an education or skills programme or attending english language classes. 80 community groups were supported to increase their sustainability and so continue to deliver services within their local area 8 Repair Cafes were held in the Larchville & Lisduggan community from May - December 2025 428,112 meals were delivered to families in need of food support by Waterford Foodbank 450 children were supported to participate in the Summer Camp Access Programme with 35 children with disabilities availing of SNA support to attend the camps 206 International Protection Applicants were supported by a UNHCR / Linked In project to improve their employment outcomes and much much more...... The Annual Outcomes Report 2025 can be viewed in more detail here    

A video description of our work providing English Language classes to new arrivals in Waterford.

WAP Annual Report 2024 is a showcase of our work in words and pictures with content from some of our beneficiaries.

We are happy to announce that we have received funding from the SSE Airtricity Generation Green Community Fund to continue to build our Waterford Repair Cafe Project. Repair Cafes are places that people can bring small items to get assistance with repairing them: clothes, small furniture, electronics, small electrical appliances, bikes, toys etc... Each month we are joined by skilled volunteers who are there to help people to learn the skills to repair their items themselves. Sometimes we will have a theme like Back To School, Halloween, Christmas etc. so keep a look out on our social media pages. We are always looking for volunteers to help us so get in touch with Amy Orr aorr@wap.ie to discuss your skills and availability. We will be posting news and videos regularly to encourage others to join us. FIX IT! DON'T DITCH IT!

Waterford Area Partnership and Larchville & Lisduggan Residents Association are jointly organising their first Repair Cafe on 17th May from 12 noon - 2pm. The Repair Cafe will take place in the Manor of St.John Building in Lisduggan. Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). For our first Repair Café we’ll be focusing on simple clothing repairs and soft toy repairs. We’ll be running a lesson on repairs that can be done by hand and you can get tips and advice on repairing your items from our knowledgeable volunteers. We will build up over time to repairing other items and will work with other repair enterprises around Waterford to bring you workshops on bike and furniture repair.  Repair Cafés will take place monthly and, as we build up, you’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. Whether It's clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, toys, etc. You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields. Visitors bring their broken items from home and together with the volunteers, they start making their repairs. It’s an ongoing learning process. If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can lend a hand with someone else’s repair job. You can also get inspired at the reading table – by leafing through books on repairs and DIY. If you’re interested in volunteering or for more info please contact Amy Orr at…

WAP/SICAP Video Case Study This Video Case Study, submitted as a SICAP requirement, describes The People's Transition - Larchville & Lisduggan, a collaborative process with the Thinktank for Action on Social Change (TASC) and the residents groups of Larchville & Lisduggan. A community development approach to climate action supported local residents and community organisations to outline their vision for the future of the community within a just transition framework. The key themes of community greening for good mental health, retrofitting of homes to tackle fuel poverty, sustainable pathways to employment and inclusive active travel options are described and illustrated in the video as well as the outcomes of the ongoing project. Thank you to all those from the community that took part and the stakeholders / agencies who are supporting the progression of actions. Illustrations within the report and video by Robyn Deasy.

Our Annual Impact Report details our projects, programmes and services delivered in 2023 and how these have impacted on the quality of life of individuals and the communities in which they live. Read our Annual Impact Report 2023

WAP has been selected to deliver the Workability Programme in Waterford which will focus on providing supports to disabled people to improve their employment prospects.

NEWS ALERT! Waterford Area Partnership will be moving our head office from Westgate Business Park on the Tramore Road to Canada Street (almost opposite the entrance to The People's Park) from Monday 1st July 2024. The Waterford City Local Area Employment Service will remain in the Westgate Business Park and our SICAP & TUS Outreach offices in the Edmund Rice Centre on Barrack Street and in the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre will remain open as usual.