New Windtown community centre to open next spring

The community resource centre at Windtown, Navan, is due to be completed by December and will be in operation by spring of next year. Meath County Council community worker Rachel Brennan updated members of the local town council on the progress on the centre to date at last week's monthly town council meeting. Ms Brennan said that the aim of the centre is to become a hub for community services geared mainly towards Windtown, but not exclusively so. The centre will consist of two storeys, totalling 600 square metres, with multi-purpose rooms of up to 75 square metres. A working group had overseen the establishment of the project, with representatives from the HSE Family Support Services, Meath Partnership, Meath Sports Partnership, Navan CDP, Navan Springboard, Meath Youth Federation, Cultúr, Cluid Housing Association, Navan Schools Completion Service, Meath Community Drug and Alcohol Response Project and Meath VEC. The council will manage the facility when it opens initially, and local groups and agencies will be able to use space to run programmes and activities for a nominal rent. The council will continue to work with the local community to establish a strong community structure which, in time, should be strong enough to take over management of the centre. Information meetings were held with residents in early June, and a Tailteann Windtown Dunloe Community Group (TWDCG) has been formed, with 10 members who are to receive VEC training in committee skills. The aims of the group are to organise activities to promote development of the community, to improve the general area and to work with Meath County Council on the organisation and operation of the new community centre. The first event to be organised by the group is an estate clean-up day this coming Saturday, 17th July. All volunteers will be meeting at Windtown Green, Ratholdren Road, Navan, at 12 noon, and will make their way from there through all areas of the Tailteann and Dunloe estates. Meath County Council is providing materials such as gloves, litter-pickers and bags. All children taking part will receive refreshments and all the adult volunteers will be entered into a prize draw. TWDCG hopes that this will be the first of many events which will help to foster community spirit in Windtown and encourage everyone to take pride in the area where they live.