Moore area honoured with two Roscommon volunteer awards

The tight-knit South Roscommon parish of Moore is celebrating this week after the local community council scooped the Community Centre of the Year Award at the Roscommon Volunteer Awards for their massive refurbishment project on Moore Community Hall.

The award was one of two prestigious awards for Moore, with local community stalwart Ivan Colleran also being recognised for his sterling work with Moore United FC which earned him the Community Causes Champion of the Year award.

Moore was nominated in seven categories in this year's Roscommon Volunteer Awards, which took place on Friday night last, January 26, in Kilronan Castle. This is the second year that the Roscommon Volunteer Centre has staged the awards, having previously been run by the Roscommon Leader Partnership.

The award for Community Centre of the Year was accepted by Carmel Scott and Willie Naughton, representing Moore Community Council, which was established in 1974 and supports 36 local organisations. The council, which is run entirely by volunteers, was instrumental in a recent €300k refurbishment project at Moore Community Hall which has transformed an underused local amenity into a thriving community centre.

Described as being “a trusted and safe gathering place” for people of all ages from the sprawling rural hinterland, the centre not just offers a welcome space for people to socialise, but also provides a wide range of leisure and cultural activities which are designed to combat rural isolation and provide huge benefits for residents across all generations.

Volunteers at Moore Community Centre are on a daily mission to create an attractive, healthy and inclusive environment for every member of the local community through education, training and remote working opportunities. Among the upgrade works completed to date on the old community hall was the replacement of floors and roof, the installation of modern office space and a top of the range playground, all of which have made it a more welcoming space for workers, visitors and for those who just wish to get together to socialise.

The community centre has become the focal point for everyone living in Moore and its environs with a regular calendar of meetings, events, concerts and training sessions along with drama, irish dancing, yoga and much more. Local groups such as the ICA and Active Retirement also use the facilities of the centre on a regular basis.

The citation for Moore Community Centre at the Roscommon Volunteer Awards described it as “a space that enriches the lives of individuals and, most importantly, enables its community to thrive.”

Ivan Colleran, a man who “stands at the heart of community” in Moore, according to his citation, was the recipient of the Community Cause Champion at the volunteer awards, and he was presented with his award by Cllr John Keogh, Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council.

Aside from his huge contribution to Moore United FC, the local volunteer was also lauded for spearheading many successful fundraising drives over the year. One of the most successful events was a memorable Lip Sync competition which led to the establishment of a Youth Drama group in Moore which has over 60 children participating in regular drama classes.

As well as offering “unwavering support, encouragement and education” to various groups pursuing their passions on the football field, last week's Roscommon Volunteer Awards heard that Ivan Colleran has also invested “countless days and nights supporting current and future generations of young people” in Moore and surrounding areas by fostering their crucial “social and communication skills.”

He was also praised for fostering greater engagement of girls in soccer through Moore United FC, which has brought about “positive changes for the girls, their families and the club.” The citation for Mr Colleran said the fact that Moore now has “more teams than ever before” and that two teams had reached finals on their first outing is “a testament to the support and encouragement provided by Ivan and the dedicated mentors.”

An Athlone-based voluntary social club for autistic children, Infinity Friends, was shortlisted for an award in the Social Inclusion category at the Roscommon Volunteer Awards. Founded by two local mothers, Claire Earley and Hilda Duignan, the group is an offshoot of Autism Parents Athlone which was established as a Facebook group by Claire Earley to highlight the lack of second-level school places for children with autism and which mounted a very high-profile and well organised campaign to have more school places provided in local secondary schools.