€22,000 raised to help fund all-purpose room
Gorey Community School’s recent table quiz at the Loch Garman Arms Hotel raised nearly €2,000 which will go towards the construction of their new theatre and dining hall.
The construction of the new all purpose room is expected to cost around €450,000. As the biggest school in Ireland, GCS has 1,675 students and the additional space is badly needed.
“We’re trying to build an all-purpose room which will serve as a dining hall and a theatre space at the same time. It’s primarily going to be an all-purpose room because we have no space here for anything,” said teacher Tommy Kavanagh.
The school has a monthly draw which started a few months ago and can be joined on the school’s website. Each month, entrants have the chance to win between €200 to €300 in prizes.
So far, it has raised €20,000. There are three options at both links which include €120 paid in full, 12 instalments or you can choose a recurring amount and frequency of your choice that will total up to at least €120 per annum.
“We’re really trying to get past pupils and parents to come onboard and support the cause. The fact is, we have no space here for anything extra other than classrooms. We’ve no proper eating places or room for assembly or anything really. First and foremost, this building is going to deal with the practical daily issues from a space point of view and after that it will be used for the development of the arts and public speaking kind of thing.
“If we have anything going on over the course of a week, the PE class can’t have the gym, we have to take the gym. The canteen holds only 40 people and we have 1,675 pupils. Really and truly, it’s grand on a day like today but during the winter it’s not great,” said Tommy.
Tommy says they plan to start construction on the project at Easter time of 2025.
“It will transform the school if we can get it built. My vision of it is, in the morning when they come, they’ll be able to get hot food if they wanted, they’ll have somewhere warm to socialise before school as well and their morning break and lunch.”