Community Centre opens after €4.9m refurbishment

THE Glenasmole Community Centre reopened last week after the facility was closed for two years to facilitate a €4.9m refurbishment.

The new centre reopened last week on Monday, January 22, and an arts and crafts class was held as its first event.

Over the last week or so, the centre has also played host to a popular twice weekly parent and toddler group, and it has also been booked for community meetings.

Susan Kearns, who has worked in the centre for over 20 years as part of the Jobs Initiative scheme, told The Echo that the new centre has been well received and is an important amenity in the area.

“I’ve been here for 24 years, and I’ve seen generations of kids go through,” Ms Kearns said.

“We’ve seen kids at the playschool who are now back with their own kids, and when you talk to them, they have memories of the summer projects we had when they were growing up.

“We’ve missed a generation of kids, between Covid and the centre being closed, and it’s sad for them to have missed those years.

“So, it’s great to be back up and running again, and we’ll have our summer project back.”

The centre comprises a large kitchen which can also work as a meeting space, a hall for large events, a kitchen, toilets, a small room for smaller gatherings, and an Astro pitch is currently in development.

The feedback from people who’ve visited the centre for events has been resoundingly positive, according to Ms Kearns, who said the addition of windows was particularly welcomed.

“The feedback has been lovely and warm,” she explained.

“We had a hall with no windows before, but now we have windows.

“We had a crafting group in, and it was great for them to be looking out at the world through the windows, and we’ve a lot more room now too.”

If you would like to attend one of the centre’s events or host your own, contact Angela McCann from the board of the community centre on 087 216 0952 or visit the Glenasmole Community Centre Facebook page.

The project for the refurbishment of the Glenasmole Community Centre was led by the Glenasmole Community Association, with the support of South Dublin County Council and Community Finance Ireland.