Slane’s new community centre nears opening date

Slane's long awaited community centre is set to open early in the New Year.

The building is being wired, plumbed and fitted out at the moment and when it opens will cater for both young and old and will provide sports and performance facilities for adjacent Slane National School.

Work has started on the Centre in 2021, following lengthy delays in the project due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The centre which was first mooted almost a decade ago, is located on the Collon Road, adjacent to Slane National School.

"The building features a multi-functional sports hall, a meeting room with kitchen, a foyer area with office and a toilet block," explains Maeve Carbin of the Community Centre Committee.

"We also have room for expansion."

She said the national school will have the use of the sports hall during schools hours and the facility will be available to the local community outside of that time.

"There have been a lot of hiccups along the way, but it is great to see it so near completion," she said.

She explained that they have formed a company, Slane Community Centre PLG and they hope to get new members involved in the coming months to help with managing the facility.

The need for the community centre was first identified by the Slane Community Forum, an umbrella group for 35 voluntary and business groups.

Maeve approached the forum about eight years ago and got a committee together of people with different abilities to try and identify a site and get the ball rolling as regards fundraising.

“We started with absolutely nothing, but the diocese gave us a long lease on a site beside the school and we will share some facilities with the school."

The centre was granted €213,000 in funding from The Community Centre Investment Fund last year which ensured they were able to complete the project.

"We also received a grant of €75,000 from Meath County Council and a sports capital grant of €89,000."

However it has been intensive local fund raising that has really seen the project come to fruition.

The first big fundraiser was a strictly come dancing joint venture with the local GAA club, in which Minister Helen McEntee was one of the contestants.

“We held a monster draw, raffling three cars and now we are running a monthly draw,” Maeve explains. The monthly members draw and our annual Golf Classic at Ashbourne Golf Club have been great fund-raisers for us and when work was delayed by Covid we continued to raise funds."

Maeve explains that there are 40 different community groups in Slane.

“We hope to provide a home for all of them and that new groups will start springing up. The centre will provide a real vibrant facility for the community.”

"It is going to breathe new life into the village and give a home to all of these fantastic organisations. We want to see a community centre that is used by everyone in the community."

Local Fianna Fail councillor, Wayne Harding said it had been a mammoth task and paid tribute to Maeve and the committee for their Trojan work.

"There were many setbacks, but they were so determined. It will be a great day for Slane when it is opened.

"As it edges closer to completion, it looks fabulous rising up into the skyline, as you approach Slane from the north.

"It is makes perfect sense too, that it is located beside the school, who can use the facility during the day, and I am really looking forward to it opening," he said.