Financial Highlights

 

Chairperson's Statement

 

Chief Executive’s Review

 

Corporate Social Responsibility

 

Environmental Matters

 

 

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DUBLIN PORT HAS ALWAYS RECOGNISED THAT NOT ONLY IS THE PORT PART OF ITS LOCAL COMMUNITY BUT THE COMMUNITY IS PART OF THE PORT.

 

The community and Dublin Port are deeply intertwined, which is not surprising as the Port covers approximately 640 acres and supports 4,000 jobs. Many of those employed in the Port come from the local area, and have done so for generations. When there is a bond that strong, there is an inherent responsibility that goes with it. Dublin Port Company has welcomed this responsibility, pursuing a comprehensive CSR programme that covers all areas, ages and aspects of community life.

 

Education
Since 2001, Dublin Port Company has awarded over 350 education bursaries worth €470,000 to residents from the local community through its Scholarship Programme. The programme has enabled hundreds of local people to progress to third level education or repeat their Leaving Cert examination, who otherwise may not have been in a position to do so. The programme, which relies on an independent panel to assess and interview the candidates, saw the largest number of awards made in 2009 with 82 successful applicants, twice the figure for 2008.

Bernard Lawless from Ringsend is one of the many scholarship recipients on his way to fulfilling his goal of obtaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Now in his third year at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT), Bernard was three months into his army training when he heard about the Scholarship Programme through his local GAA club, Clann na nGael Fontenoy GAA, and having realised that army life was not for him, was encouraged by members of his family to apply. ‘Delighted’ at having been selected, Bernard describes the Company’s Scholarship Programme as ‘a major support’ and something which sends out a message to the community that ‘education is important, especially when people know there’s a backing there.’

 

It’s brilliant. It really has helped. The scholarship means I can cover the cost of the bus fare to and from college every day, as well as lunch, print-outs, books and other materials. Without it I would have had to get a part-time job to keep myself in college or I mightn’t have gone to college at all. Not having to worry about having to balance part-time work with study means I can concentrate more on my studies. I’ve noticed a difference in my grades compared to some of my peers who are working part time and are not always able to get time off for exams. I haven’t had that worry. My grades are good enough now to be able to transfer from the ordinary level to honours degree course next year. I can’t wait! Since starting the degree I’ve realised my options are so much broader; it’s really opened my eyes to other career possibilities and I’ve definitely developed team work and leadership skills as a result of going to college. I’d love to go on and do forensic engineering on car crash investigations with the Gardaí.

 

This year Dublin Port Company also helped bring teaching and learning resources into the 21st Century with a €90,000 investment in new interactive white boards for three local primary schools, including St. Joseph’s Co-Ed National School East Wall, St. Patrick Boys National School and St. Patrick’s Girl’s National School in Ringsend, where traditional blackboards were replaced with eight new, state of the art whiteboards, one for every classroom. Principal of St. Patrick’s Girl’s National School in Ringsend, Martin Lynch, describes how the boards have helped bring lessons to life for the 145 pupils in his school.

 

We’re half way through our first year using the boards and staff are already beginning to store and share teaching tips and materials in a new way. The whiteboards have given the teachers unlimited access to a vastly increased bank of educational resources, whether it’s maps and diagrams or the internet. For the pupils, the classroom has become a much more interactive place to learn; the lessons have really come alive. The children are able to come to the front of the class and use the equipment to make presentations to their peers, which is a great confidence builder or take part in group exercises on an all-inclusive basis. The whiteboards also appeal to the pupils’ own experience of media outside the classroom. Our 6th class are even beginning to learn about podcasting and blogging as educational tools and we’re about to have our first class Skype call with a partner school in South Africa.

 

It’s a good feeling; in terms of resources we’re at a stage now I wouldn’t have envisaged two years ago and puts us about five years ahead in technology terms. The school is really embedded in the community and Dublin Port Company’s goodwill has helped us leapfrog so many obstacles and worries from a funding and resource point of view. The whiteboards have quickly become part and parcel of school life.

Society
The Ringsend & District Response to Drugs (RDRD) was set up in 1995 as a community based drug response group for the East Wall, Pearse Street and Ringsend areas. Since its formation Dublin Port Company has supported RDRD, helping it deliver comprehensive crisis intervention, addict and family support programmes. This year we helped RDRD purchase a retreat house in Co. Wexford to facilitate weekends away for families affected by drug addiction. Teresa Weafer, Manager of RDRD, explains what this support means to the work of RDRD.

 

Without Dublin Port Company’s support we simply wouldn’t be in a position to provide the programmes, aftercare, research or rapid response needed to deal with drug use in our community. It means we’re able to move with the times and offer awareness programmes when it matters, for example in response to the recent and increased use of ‘head shop’ products. We were also able to make a DVD as part of the’ head shop’ programme, which was then distributed to libraries and schools so that parents and people in the community would be able to recognise and tackle the early warning signs of this new type of drug abuse.

 

The retreat house has proven to be a huge resource for the community. RDRD has since been approached by other community groups asking permission to use it from time to time. It’s given others a reason to engage with us, find out about the work we’re doing and break down barriers in the community about drug rehabilitation. The knock on effect is that RDRD is now in a position to give something back to other groups in our society.

We really have come a long way and we’re making progress on drug awareness and abuse in the community. At our Annual Graduation Ceremony this year, eight people graduated drug free from the programme and 54 people have maintained their drug free status ever since. Dublin Port Company doesn’t just fund this service, they’re part of it. They’re very hands on and they’ve helped change people’s lives for the better.

Community
The community centre is at the heart of local community life and Dublin Port Company continued this year to support and fund services at East Wall Community Centre, where Chairperson, Willie Dwyer, explains the benefits for different groups using the centre.

Dublin Port Company’s support means that we’re able to do things now that we would never have dreamed about in the past. Through the relationship we have with the Port we’re in a position to offer a full service to the community - from toddlers and wobblers to senior citizens. We’re able to cater for up to 110 senior citizens every week with lunch at the centre, meals on wheels, afternoon activities and entertainment. They can even come here and get their hair done or see the nurse who attends the doctor’s room two days a week. Our young people can use the all weather pitch and indoor facilities for sports and educational rooms for grinds and support - and I doubt you’ll see a better crèche around. We’ve over 200 families registered for our Summer Project this year, which takes young people out for the day to the beach or zoo during July. Preparations are also under way to bring 40 children from St. Joseph’s Youth Club on an 8-day football and cultural trip to Munich this year. Many of the kids would never have been outside East Wall before. They’ve seen the big German cars coming off the ferries through the Port and now they’re going to see where those cars are made. It’s a dream come true. There’s a mutual respect there; we’ve come from seeing the Port as a distant employer to something that’s very visible in the community. From the day we opened, the Port Company has put an awful lot of time and effort into the centre. People can talk to you about the Port because the Port Company is part of the community. I would consider the Port as friends of the community now.

Sport
Dublin Port Company’s commitment to promoting local sports continued this year with the sponsorship of Clontarf Rugby Club and Clann na nGael Fontenoy GAA Club. Shay Connolly, Club Manager of Clann na nGael Fontenoy GAA explains how this support has helped create a sense of sporting achievement and pride in the local community.

 

There was a time when we were the only inner-city club left in Dublin with limited facilities and of no interest to the local kids. We set up a development committee in 1987 to try and continue with the club and during that time basic facilities such as a clubhouse and dressing rooms were built. While this tided us over and membership started to increase, it wasn’t sufficient. Competitively, we were playing at a very low level indeed. What the club really needed was coaching and that’s where Dublin Port Company stepped in. They’ve provided us with a team of trained coaches and new facilities to develop the players and promote the club. We’re six years into our partnership now and there’s been a dramatic improvement in the standard of playing across the junior and senior teams. We’ve bettered our game fourfold in six short years. There’s a real belief amongst the players and community now that we can achieve and seeing everyone togged out in the proper kit gives you great pride in the club. Young people in the community sense that and they want to be part of it. The facilities are much improved too with two floodlit pitches, an Astroturf pitch, extra changing facilities for the ladies game and a Games Development Officer to liaise with the schools. The facilities have enabled us to partner with nearby Trinity College for school grinds in exchange for training the student teams there. If we didn’t have the coaches we just wouldn’t have been able to secure the grinds programme for the kids. As a local club it’s essential that we provide a positive environment for our young people. With the coaching also come positive messages about the importance of a healthy mind, body and lifestyle both on and off the pitch. We’re in a position now to mentor and coach 1,100 players a week on their doorstep and parental involvement has never been greater.