PLANNING UNDERWAY FOR 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF CASTLELYONS COMMUNITY CENTRE
From small beginnings in the early 1970s when a public meeting was called in the old school to consider the feasibility of building a hall, to 2022 and a newly renovated top spec complex. As the Community Centre’s 50th birthday approaches in Castlelyons, planning for a year of celebrations and activities to mark this important occasion is well underway. These will reflect on the people and moments that bring us to our 50th anniversary, as well as looking forward to continued growth over the next 50 years.
A comprehensive list of events has been put together by the Community Centre committee to celebrate its 50th year. The first of these events is the production of a three-act play, which will be staged on the last two weekends of January and the first weekend of February 2022. This play will be a hilarious comedy, specifically chosen to lift people’s spirits after the Covid blues. The cast will be composed of some of the parish’s well-known actors and actresses and a few surprise newcomers. Hopefully, this production will reach the dizzy heights and provide a spectacular opening for the planned events for the remainder of 2022.
CATTLE SCHEME AND FUNDRAISERS
The Community Centre would not be here today without the persistence of a forward-thinking group who attended the first meeting and went ahead with plans to build dressing rooms and a hall to cater for all sections of the community. The entire building was completed in record time with a builder employed by day and an army of volunteers working every evening, oftentimes straight from training! It was an exciting time in the parish and a period of wonderful community spirit.
There were no Government or lottery grants at that time, so the money was obtained locally. A cattle scheme was thought up, whereby cattle would be bought at the mart and given to farmers who would already have agreed to take them for six months free of charge. The cattle would then be taken back from the farmers and sold at the mart. This involved another visit to the now alarmed bank manager. The cost of buying the cattle was almost as much as building the centre!
However, after a lot of persuasion, the money was made available and cattle were taken to almost a hundred farmers from Coolagown to Britway and beyond. It was a wonderful scheme as it involved all sections of the community. The scheme was continued for three years by which time, with other fundraising activities, the debt was cleared. This never would have been possible without the invaluable contributions of the community.
We continue to benefit from the work and toil of this forward-thinking group and community spirit. We are excited to celebrate this milestone, to acknowledge their foresight, the trojan work of committees past and the incredible community spirit that has embedded the success of Castlelyons Community Centre. This really is about bringing the entire community together to celebrate an exciting time in the history of the Community Centre, to recognise where we’ve come from and pave the way for the future.