Magheralin Parish Hall re–opens after renovations
Representatives from all sections of the community gathered in the Parish Hall in Magheralin recently to celebrate its re–opening after recent renovations. The parish was delighted to welcome back Bishop Ken Clarke, a former curate, to perform the ceremony at the invitation of the rector, Canon Gareth Harron.
The re–opening marked the culmination of almost 14 weeks of building work during which the hall was extensively refurbished and upgraded. It now better meets the needs of those who use it on a regular basis and expands the possibilities for future users.
The old stage was removed and a new area formed to accommodate chairs, a new portable stage and equipment for organisations. Above this, there is now a new meeting room. Low energy lighting was installed as well as a much higher standard of insulation throughout, all of which will result in much lower energy and heating costs.
The work was completed just in time for the very successful Festival of Christmas Trees at the start of December when it was estimated that over 2,000 people came to the hall for mince pies and tea.
Canon Harron believes that the newly refurbished hall will play a key part in the parish mission and ministry as they seek to reach out to everyone in the community. “We are particularly grateful to the Rural Development Council and the International Fund for Ireland for providing funding and so enabling us to carry out these much needed improvements”, he said. ”I would pay tribute to all who have been involved in the work, especially the builders – Viewpoint Developments, and the architects – Waddington McClure. They have done a magnificent job.”
Rural Development Council Director of Programmes, Olga Gallagher was unable to attend due to adverse weather conditions, but in her absence Ken Gibson from the International Fund for Ireland congratulated the Parish and commented that, “Community halls such as that in Magheralin provide invaluable venues which offer an opportunity to maintain and develop an active and vibrant community where a wide range of activities can take place. Making the most of an opportunity such as this requires hard work and dedication, and I have no doubt that those qualities will be present in abundance in Magheralin.”
The re–opening was combined with an exhibition featuring a range of activities promoting health related activities and lifestyles together with information from other community and statutory bodies. The opportunity was also taken to showcase some of the activities currently taking place within the parish.