The community pulse is strong in Bunnanaddan. If it wasn’t, such a large group wouldn’t have gathered on a damp February afternoon to talk about what makes them tick – and work hard to improve quality of life in their area.
‘Vibrant’, ‘active’, ‘growing’ those were the words school principal, Bernie Burke, used to describe the village, and all those characteristics were certainly in evidence.
Driving a mile or so from the village that has two pubs, a church, a revamped community centre and a tractor sales business, I found its impressive community park after veering left off the Tubbercurry road.
Built on a green field site of 10 acres bought in trust by locals in 1986, the scale of the park is remarkable. Think state-of-the-art in rural Ireland actually; a big clubhouse, a gated entrance, a tarmac drive, a pitch, a high-spec playground, dressing rooms, an indoor and outdoor gym, a playschool, meeting rooms and the pièce de résistance, a 1km walking/jogging track around the pitch that is floodlit and open for community use from 9am to 10pm.
All I could think was: “Wow, how did they manage all this?”
Everything gets supported no matter what it is
“This field is very central to the whole development of the area,” Kevin Frain says. “It gave us the space we needed to develop facilities for the village.”
The park has cost in excess of €1m. Community members had to raise 25% of that, with the rest coming at different stages from funding agencies including LEADER, CLAR, The Sports Capital Fund and Sligo Sports Partnership.
Exterior of Bunnanadden Community Park, Club House, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
Locals raised their share of the cost through running raffles and auctions and Strictly anything you could think of to raise a few bob – even cow pat bingo.
“Everything gets supported no matter what it is,” Kevin says. “We’re a small community but close-knit and get on well so we’ve been able to do a lot.”
With no land available for purchase in the village they had to look outwards for a sports ground, they say.
“Looking at it now, we should have bought more land,” agricultural contractor Richard Brennan says. “We started with dressing-rooms and the pitch and went from there. The new walkway finished last year has brought a new dimension to the place. It’s safe for families and busy all week round now.”
Hard work acknowledged
But was it not a lot to take on – borrowing all that money and doing all that fundraising?
They didn’t blink at it, he says, but acknowledges that nothing much would have happened in the village without the likes of LEADER. “Their help has been invaluable.”
With Bunnanaddan now in Phase 4 of their development plan, councillor Paul Taylor is in no doubt that a lot of communities in Sligo are inspired by Bunnanaddan’s achievements.
Inside the gym at Bunnanadden Community Park, Club House, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
“This is probably one of the best rural facilities in Sligo and it’s widely acknowledged how hard this community works,” he says.
Fancy equipment is no good, of course, unless you know how to use it and that’s where Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership has come in.
“We’ve been involved in providing the outdoor gym and training for it,” says their representative Denise McDermott, “along with basketball and gymnastics and table tennis coaching and the first aid and safeguarding training needed to meet governance requirements.”
Challenges too
But all isn’t rosy in the garden. Richard points out that Bunnanaddan has had its losses as well as its gains.
The village has no post office, garda station or shop anymore, phone coverage is a touchy subject and poor broadband, I was told, is driving self-employed home workers to travel to Ballymote, for example, to access service.
Padraig Scanlon, Pauline Rogers, Bernie Burke, Emma Gormley, Sharon Amber, Sara Murray and Frank Dodd at Bunnanaddan Community Centre, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
“It’s a constant battle for services,” they agree. While they feel that it is coming, it is too slow for their liking.
Also having seen their own post office go, they are now helping with the fight for the retention of a post office in nearby Gurteen.
“When you take away the post office you take away a piece of the fabric of the community,” says Tom McKettrick, one of the main Gurteen campaigners. “And the money goes out of the village.”
At present the post office is there until 1 March, but locals are keeping up the fight.
Endeavour award
Bunnanaddan only began entering the Tidy Towns competition in 2016 but they have already won an Endeavour Award.
“It’s for the most-improved group so we were delighted,” secretary Sharon Amber says.
To finish off the visit we headed back to the community centre in the village with its new signs and finish. The All-Ireland semi-finalist bowls club was just finishing one of their thrice-weekly practices.
Gurteen Post Office group, Paul Taylor, Maureen O'Down and Tom McGettrick Inside Bunnanaddan Community Park, Club House, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
No sooner had they wheeled their equipment back to the store room than mats were being put down for the kiddy gym session.
“It’s like a well-oiled machine,” says Geoff Amber, a UK native who has settled here with his wife.
The community centre also attracts people from surrounding villages and from the half-parish of Killavil for basketball and for the Neighbourly Lunches that take place there each Thursday.
Pat Kilcoyne of Sligo Leader Partnership is particularly delighted with the success of this initiative.
Bowls, with Sharon Amber, Pauline Rogers, Terry Wetherald, Nick, Jeff Amber (taking his shot) Sean Carew, Marty Dolphin, John Keenan at Bunnanadden Community Centre, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
“About 20 people a week come for it and there is a great social side to it. It’s going so well that we’re thinking of expanding it,” he says.
Overall, LEADER are delighted to be involved and Pat has the last word.
“There’s always been great buy-in in Bunnanaddan into community development,” he says.
Tips
• Don’t be put off by form-filling. You have to do it to get grants.
• Erect a permanent sign outside the community centre itemising events taking place each day.
• Apply for community scheme workers.
• Follow the rules laid down by funding agencies to the letter.
The community pulse is strong in Bunnanaddan. If it wasn’t, such a large group wouldn’t have gathered on a damp February afternoon to talk about what makes them tick – and work hard to improve quality of life in their area.
‘Vibrant’, ‘active’, ‘growing’ those were the words school principal, Bernie Burke, used to describe the village, and all those characteristics were certainly in evidence.
Driving a mile or so from the village that has two pubs, a church, a revamped community centre and a tractor sales business, I found its impressive community park after veering left off the Tubbercurry road.
Built on a green field site of 10 acres bought in trust by locals in 1986, the scale of the park is remarkable. Think state-of-the-art in rural Ireland actually; a big clubhouse, a gated entrance, a tarmac drive, a pitch, a high-spec playground, dressing rooms, an indoor and outdoor gym, a playschool, meeting rooms and the pièce de résistance, a 1km walking/jogging track around the pitch that is floodlit and open for community use from 9am to 10pm.
All I could think was: “Wow, how did they manage all this?”
Everything gets supported no matter what it is
“This field is very central to the whole development of the area,” Kevin Frain says. “It gave us the space we needed to develop facilities for the village.”
The park has cost in excess of €1m. Community members had to raise 25% of that, with the rest coming at different stages from funding agencies including LEADER, CLAR, The Sports Capital Fund and Sligo Sports Partnership.
Exterior of Bunnanadden Community Park, Club House, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
Locals raised their share of the cost through running raffles and auctions and Strictly anything you could think of to raise a few bob – even cow pat bingo.
“Everything gets supported no matter what it is,” Kevin says. “We’re a small community but close-knit and get on well so we’ve been able to do a lot.”
With no land available for purchase in the village they had to look outwards for a sports ground, they say.
“Looking at it now, we should have bought more land,” agricultural contractor Richard Brennan says. “We started with dressing-rooms and the pitch and went from there. The new walkway finished last year has brought a new dimension to the place. It’s safe for families and busy all week round now.”
Hard work acknowledged
But was it not a lot to take on – borrowing all that money and doing all that fundraising?
They didn’t blink at it, he says, but acknowledges that nothing much would have happened in the village without the likes of LEADER. “Their help has been invaluable.”
With Bunnanaddan now in Phase 4 of their development plan, councillor Paul Taylor is in no doubt that a lot of communities in Sligo are inspired by Bunnanaddan’s achievements.
Inside the gym at Bunnanadden Community Park, Club House, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
“This is probably one of the best rural facilities in Sligo and it’s widely acknowledged how hard this community works,” he says.
Fancy equipment is no good, of course, unless you know how to use it and that’s where Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership has come in.
“We’ve been involved in providing the outdoor gym and training for it,” says their representative Denise McDermott, “along with basketball and gymnastics and table tennis coaching and the first aid and safeguarding training needed to meet governance requirements.”
Challenges too
But all isn’t rosy in the garden. Richard points out that Bunnanaddan has had its losses as well as its gains.
The village has no post office, garda station or shop anymore, phone coverage is a touchy subject and poor broadband, I was told, is driving self-employed home workers to travel to Ballymote, for example, to access service.
Padraig Scanlon, Pauline Rogers, Bernie Burke, Emma Gormley, Sharon Amber, Sara Murray and Frank Dodd at Bunnanaddan Community Centre, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
“It’s a constant battle for services,” they agree. While they feel that it is coming, it is too slow for their liking.
Also having seen their own post office go, they are now helping with the fight for the retention of a post office in nearby Gurteen.
“When you take away the post office you take away a piece of the fabric of the community,” says Tom McKettrick, one of the main Gurteen campaigners. “And the money goes out of the village.”
At present the post office is there until 1 March, but locals are keeping up the fight.
Endeavour award
Bunnanaddan only began entering the Tidy Towns competition in 2016 but they have already won an Endeavour Award.
“It’s for the most-improved group so we were delighted,” secretary Sharon Amber says.
To finish off the visit we headed back to the community centre in the village with its new signs and finish. The All-Ireland semi-finalist bowls club was just finishing one of their thrice-weekly practices.
Gurteen Post Office group, Paul Taylor, Maureen O'Down and Tom McGettrick Inside Bunnanaddan Community Park, Club House, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
No sooner had they wheeled their equipment back to the store room than mats were being put down for the kiddy gym session.
“It’s like a well-oiled machine,” says Geoff Amber, a UK native who has settled here with his wife.
The community centre also attracts people from surrounding villages and from the half-parish of Killavil for basketball and for the Neighbourly Lunches that take place there each Thursday.
Pat Kilcoyne of Sligo Leader Partnership is particularly delighted with the success of this initiative.
Bowls, with Sharon Amber, Pauline Rogers, Terry Wetherald, Nick, Jeff Amber (taking his shot) Sean Carew, Marty Dolphin, John Keenan at Bunnanadden Community Centre, Bunnanaddan, Co Sligo. \ James Connolly
“About 20 people a week come for it and there is a great social side to it. It’s going so well that we’re thinking of expanding it,” he says.
Overall, LEADER are delighted to be involved and Pat has the last word.
“There’s always been great buy-in in Bunnanaddan into community development,” he says.
Tips
• Don’t be put off by form-filling. You have to do it to get grants.
• Erect a permanent sign outside the community centre itemising events taking place each day.
• Apply for community scheme workers.
• Follow the rules laid down by funding agencies to the letter.
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