Kilbroney Residential and Conference Centre unveils major refurbishment
Local clergy, funders, politicians, and members of the community gathered on 6 September for the official opening of the refurbished Kilbroney Residential and Conference Centre in Rostrevor.
The centre, which this year celebrates 40 years as a provider of programmes and accommodation for young people, has undergone major renovation costing upwards of £500,000 and now enjoys a Northern Ireland Tourist Board 4 Star rating. The work was jointly funded by the Church of Ireland Parish of Kilbroney, SOAR (Southern Organisation for Action in Rural Areas) and The Church of Ireland Priorities Fund.
Kilbroney sits in 11 acres of beautiful forested land with stunning views of the Mourne Mountains and the recent work makes it one of the best equipped residential centres in the country. It has excellent kitchen facilities, state of the art multi–media equipment and can offer a range of outdoor and wet weather activities. There is a new entrance and reception area and the renovated 40 bed centre combined with existing accommodating offers almost 80 beds. Ideal for use by youth and church groups, uniformed organisations or for conferences, the centre can provide for both catered and self–catered residential groups.
Kilbroney has always had deep roots in the Rostrevor community and integral to the celebrations was a ‘Fun Day’ complete with burgers, bouncy castles, face–painting and candy floss organised by the local Community Association.
Chair of the Board of Directors, Mr Jarlath Quinn, thanked the Church of Ireland for providing the land and buildings and the majority of the funding and SOAR, under the auspices of DARD, “without whom,” he said,” the project would not have got off the ground”. Mr Quinn also thanked local MP Margaret Ritchie and Councillor Mick Murphy who were instrumental in helping to secure funding. He concluded: “We as a board look forward to the Kilbroney Centre having a central role in the life of the Rostrevor community for many years to come.”
Chairman of the SOAR Joint Committee, Mr Miceal McCoy, said: It’s very pleasing for us in SOAR to be able to assist in the redevelopment of this beautiful building and particularly the economic driver that it will become in the future for tourism. It’s a superb product, immersed in this community and I think that visitors to this area will cherish it.”
Local MP, Mrs Margaret Ritchie, who has been involved with the project since 2010, said that the centre had the support of the wider community and urged local people and those further afield to make use of the facilities.
The Kilbroney Centre is a partnership between the parish and the Diocese of Down and Dromore and the ribbon cutting was performed by the The Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore. He acknowledged the commitment and vision of Kilbroney parish and its clergy going back over 40 years and the local support the centre enjoys. He said: “This project has come into being because the whole community has worked together quite unselfconsciously. This is the kind of place we want to live in where we all bring to the table everything we have for the up–building and blessing of the whole community. I want this simply to be a place that is here for everyone.”
The board has planning permission for a hall which would be shared by the centre and the local community and suitable for sports and indoor activities, drama and community meetings or conferences. It is hoped to secure funding for this in the future.
The centre has bookings for every weekend up to the end of the year and would like to build on the success of 2 years of summer camps. The board also hopes to develop more on–site activities in order to provide an all–encompassing experience of spiritual and physical development for young people and children.
The recent work was completed by QMac Construction with Tate Stevenson Architects and David Gould Associates, Quantity Surveyors.
View a gallery of the celebrations here.
Visit the Kilbroney centre website at www.kilbroneycentre.com