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Mission & Values

Our mission is to support and promote the social, economic, and sustainable development of Allenwood and the wider community, empowering individuals, groups, and businesses to fulfil their potential. Our core values are Diversity, Partnership, Sustainability & Empowerment.

Aerial view of Allenwood Campus building with parking lot and surrounding greenery, cloudy sky.

Who We Are

Allenwood Campus operates as a social enterprise and not-for-profit organisation, reinvesting all surpluses back into the Campus. This approach underpins its mission to deliver meaningful social, economic, and community impact.

Our Campus

Tthe 38-acre Allenwood Campus has been revitalised into a thriving community and business hub. Since refurbishment of the main building began in 2019, Allenwood Campus has secured multiple funding streams — including grant aid from LEADER, Enterprise Ireland, Drehid, Connected Hubs (from 2020 onwards), and the Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) in 2022. These funds have supported major energy-efficiency upgrades such as the installation of a new roof, external insulation, windows, and doors, alongside the modernisation of internal spaces including the kitchen, own-door offices, communal areas, and technology infrastructure.

The main Allenwood Campus building, covering 9,646 square feet, serves as the organisation’s administrative centre while also accommodating third-party offices, conference and training rooms, and a hot-desking facility. Training programmes are delivered weekly by both Allenwood Campus and a partner company, engaging approximately 30 participants. Allenwood Campus continues to liaise with the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) to deliver additional training opportunities based on local needs, spanning both formal and recreational education.

The wider campus also houses light industrial units and a purpose-built community childcare facility - Bright Sparks. Bright Sparks, which is wholly owned by Allenwood Campus, was opened in 2005, by President Mary McAleese. It is staffed by 18 Childcare Assistants, who are all Garda Vetted and trained to a minimum of QQI (formerly Fetac) Level 6. Collectively, Allenwood Campus supports around 60 jobs — both directly and through its 14 client companies.

Community engagement remains central to Allenwood Campus's mission, with the campus hosting local initiatives such as the Men’s Shed and Scouts group, as well as supporting broader community development. The organisation has also enhanced local amenities by providing land for County Kildare’s largest all-ages playpark and, in October 2024, allocating approximately one acre for a community garden that continues to grow from strength to strength.

As of 2024, Allenwood Campus has launched a three-year strategic plan focused on long-term sustainability and development. Key initiatives include feasibility studies to explore potential business expansion across the remaining undeveloped land. The Board of Allenwood Campus — comprising representatives from Kildare County Council, local community members, and business leaders — is committed to ensuring the continued growth and relevance of the facility.

A new wetlands wastewater treatment plant, funded through the EU Just Transition Fund: Local Economic and Community Plans Scheme, is a cornerstone of future development. This initiative will not only support the organisation’s long-term sustainability but also enhance biodiversity, wildlife habitats, and green spaces across the site. In May 2025, Allenwood Campus was also awarded funding to expand its community childcare service, further supporting children and families in Allenwood and the surrounding area.

Indoor staircase leading up to a wall with a large sign welcoming to Allenwood Campus. The sign includes colorful circular graphics and text about community, business, and innovation connect, as well as information on enterprise support, community projects, training, and community support groups.

Our History

Long before Allenwood Campus became a place of learning, enterprise, and community connection, this site was one of the most significant industrial landmarks in the region. For decades, the Allenwood Power Station stood at the heart of the local landscape — a vast, working hub of energy production that powered homes, industry, and livelihoods across Ireland.

Fuelled by sod peat harvested from the adjoining bogs of Timahoe, Co. Kildare, the station was a symbol of progress and productivity in the mid-20th century. From the moment construction began in 1949, Allenwood became synonymous with energy, employment, and economic activity. At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the station produced millions of units of electricity each year and supported generations of local families, shaping both the physical and social fabric of the community.

When the power station was ultimately decommissioned and demolished in 1994, it marked the end of an era - but it also created the opportunity for something new to emerge. What followed was not decline, but transformation.

Following the decommissioning of the former ESB power station, the first phase of redevelopment took place between 1996 and 1998. During this period, the Allenwood Community Development Association (ACDAL) took over the site under a 999-year lease, marking the beginning of its transformation into a community and enterprise hub. Most of the former power generation buildings were demolished, with two key structures retained and refurbished to form the primary Business Administration Centre for the Allenwood Enterprise Park.

The second phase of development led by ACDAL (now Allenwood Campus) involved the construction of two additional Enterprise Buildings, creating over 23,000 square feet of workshop, industrial units, and office space. These facilities were fully occupied by emerging businesses within three years, highlighting the strong demand for enterprise space and the success of the redevelopment.