EVERY community needs a place of focus and in Castleconnell, that place is the ACM (Ahane Castleconnell Montpellier) Community Centre in Castle Street.
Established in 1998 as the millennium project group, ACM is celebrating twenty years of community activity and the centre has now acquired new premises that will give even more room to accommodate local groups, meetings, training courses and events.
“The centre is the place where the energy for volunteerism comes from in the Castleconnell catchment area,” said ACM board member Eamonn McQuade.
“What it does is provide space for things to happen, everything from meetings to card games,” he told The Limerick Post.
Secretarial services, evening classes, community childcare facilities and homework club. societies and clubs, summer camps meeting space are all catered for in the centre.
Now ACM has acquired another property to expand its potential, Shannon House. The fit-out of the new property was helped with Leader funding through Ballyhoura Development.
There are plans for new office space, a cafe, hot desks, more space for classes, for youth activities and clubs and events of every kind.
“One of the areas we hope to look at more is providing activities for young people. There are sporting activities at both ends of the village but not a lot happening in the centre of the village,” said Eamonn.
“This new space will open up all kinds of possibilities. Without space, without somewhere to call a base it can be very hard for anything to get off the ground in communities, so we’re delighted to be able to move up with the new property”.
ACM also has a vision of creating a community garden at the back of the building.
“But first we’ll have to clear the space because it’s a bit of a jungle at the moment,” Eamonn explained.
