Linda Ledger was born and bred in Kileely, Limerick city and had her first job at 13. Being the eldest in a household experiencing alcoholism and mental health issues, it was Linda who had to keep the family going. At 15, she started working in Dunnes Stores and despite the challenges she faced, worked her way up to become store supervisor.

A car accident in 1997 led to life changing injuries and Linda was forced to resign from her job and reconsider her options. She began volunteering in her local community and registered with the National Learning Network to upskill. This gave Linda the confidence and self-belief to take the next steps in her career.

St Munchin’s community centre was being built in a disadvantaged part of Limerick city as Linda was searching for ways to get back to normal life. She got involved with planning and running day to day activities, within two years was promoted to manager and the rest is history!

The change wasn’t easy, Linda was still viewed as a volunteer and says she found it hard to gain the respect of her peers and local agencies involved in community work. As the manager, Linda could see flaws in the system so began her mission to change the sector from within. She says standing up for her community also meant standing her ground with government and agencies in the sector.

Linda felt that she needed to take a step out of the community and change how she was perceived so she went back into education. Terrified but determined, Linda undertook a Diploma in Project Management at University of Limerick. It was at UL, that Linda learnt many new leadership skills and developed a lot more confidence in her abilities.

Now as the St Munchin’s Community Centre CEO, Linda has brought the community from strength to strength by personally developing social enterprises and much needed supports based on local needs. There are many social enterprises that underpin the success of the centre including Meals on Wheels, a Hair and Beauty Salon, a Florist, Photography Studio, Community Café and many services like Chiropody, Catering, Seniors Clubs, Friendly Call Service, Bingo, Community Allotments, and maintenance and management of the local graveyard. There’s also a Community Education Training Campus which runs regular classes.

There are now over 120 people working in the centre with more than 60 volunteers. Linda encourages all the schools and education institutions that work with St Munchin’s to actively engage with the community so future generations understand that access to education is an opportunity for all. Linda has built a vibrant, accessible, welcoming hub that is evidenced by the ever-increasing volume of service users attending daily.  Visitors from government, academia, and voluntary service providers often look to Linda for the recipe for such a successful and positive community centre, which is a testament to her dedication and vision of always putting her community first.

Linda is a valued partner of UL’s CWELL programme which empowers citizens to actively participate in community development and provides support to learners with their work and projects in their local areas.

Married to Leon with two adult daughters, Linda has received a huge number of awards for her community work throughout the last number of years including the honour of being named Frontline Hero during the pandemic.  She has also been named as one of Ireland’s most inspirational people.

The above text is an extract from the 2022 UL Alumni Awards Souvenir Booklet.

 

To read more about the 2022 UL Alumni Awards please click here.

To view images from the 2022 UL Alumni Awards please click here.

Watch Linda's on-stage interview below.