Hi! to all of our friends, families and followers.
2020 has been a very disappointing year due to the prevailing COVID 19 problem that has affected almost everybody in some way. We, here at the small village of Allihies, Beara.....the furthest parish from our capital have also felt the effects.
The village hall is the lifeblood of the community and the centre of gatherings, community projects, sports and fitness, and also an employer for scheme workers who maintain the facilities. It is also the base of the sports and horseracing committee which organise the annual festival and horseracing which has taken place in Allihies for around 110 years! It is worth mentioning that the committee (present members and former members) are very hard working volunteers that are committed to giving the best experience they can every year.
Sadly, this years festival has had to be cancelled due to the covid pandemic. This is a tragedy in itself, the amount of folks that descend on our small village for the festivities is unbelievable! You have to wonder where they all come from, such is the atmosphere that they generate over the week or so.
The other tragedy which most people are unaware of, is the fact that it's the annual festival that provides the revenue desperately needed to keep the hall alive for the whole year leading up to the next festival. As a consequence of the cancellation of this years celebrations, we are looking at the very real issue that the hall may need to close due to an absence of funding.
Without investment provided from festivals, the infrastructure of the hall is doomed. We have many costs to meet, including things such as: Insurance, physical repairs and maintenance, licenses,legal fees, utility bills and contributions to scheme workers wages. This approximates to €15,000 per year.
This also has a knock-on effect to all our local businesses too, as they all depend on summer visitors to survive through the quiet winter months.
The hall and sports committee have considered many options to raise some much needed cash for the cause but it is difficult to do something that doesn't include social distancing and mass gatherings.
We were not even considered for the recent government grant and this has left us with few options other than to appeal to the wonderful supporters out there who might be able to spare a few euro to keep the village hall and gymnasium in operation and to keep the festival dream alive for next year.
So dig deep and help us get the festival back on track for 2021!
Many thanks in advance. Keep safe.
2020 has been a very disappointing year due to the prevailing COVID 19 problem that has affected almost everybody in some way. We, here at the small village of Allihies, Beara.....the furthest parish from our capital have also felt the effects.
The village hall is the lifeblood of the community and the centre of gatherings, community projects, sports and fitness, and also an employer for scheme workers who maintain the facilities. It is also the base of the sports and horseracing committee which organise the annual festival and horseracing which has taken place in Allihies for around 110 years! It is worth mentioning that the committee (present members and former members) are very hard working volunteers that are committed to giving the best experience they can every year.
Sadly, this years festival has had to be cancelled due to the covid pandemic. This is a tragedy in itself, the amount of folks that descend on our small village for the festivities is unbelievable! You have to wonder where they all come from, such is the atmosphere that they generate over the week or so.
The other tragedy which most people are unaware of, is the fact that it's the annual festival that provides the revenue desperately needed to keep the hall alive for the whole year leading up to the next festival. As a consequence of the cancellation of this years celebrations, we are looking at the very real issue that the hall may need to close due to an absence of funding.
Without investment provided from festivals, the infrastructure of the hall is doomed. We have many costs to meet, including things such as: Insurance, physical repairs and maintenance, licenses,legal fees, utility bills and contributions to scheme workers wages. This approximates to €15,000 per year.
This also has a knock-on effect to all our local businesses too, as they all depend on summer visitors to survive through the quiet winter months.
The hall and sports committee have considered many options to raise some much needed cash for the cause but it is difficult to do something that doesn't include social distancing and mass gatherings.
We were not even considered for the recent government grant and this has left us with few options other than to appeal to the wonderful supporters out there who might be able to spare a few euro to keep the village hall and gymnasium in operation and to keep the festival dream alive for next year.
So dig deep and help us get the festival back on track for 2021!
Many thanks in advance. Keep safe.
Organizer and beneficiary
Mark Southgate
Organizer
ALLIHIES HALL
Beneficiary