The past week has have to be the busiest New Ballagh has been since before Lockdown. Normally, we would have the odd bit of excitement – new courses starting or an particularly successful event for the Thursday Club. But this week there had been three exciting events happen. i am using that as a the reason why I haven’t written a blog before now – too busy enjoying the events to write about them!
The first exciting event was the fundraiser for the Hospice that the Thursday Club hosted last Thursday. How this is done is that the staff of the centre set up the centre to be as welcome as it can be and the members of the club provides the goodies and the entertainment.
To make the centre welcome, the staff spent the morning making sure that the coffee tables are set out so people can sit with friends and chat, we set out a tea and coffee area and a table for the glorious food that will be brought by the members. Usually, the members that can bake – or has family members who can, will bring along some seriously nice buns, cakes and other delights. The Thursday club is very lucky to have some very talented members that provide music and song. The centre was filled with music, laughter and chat as both members and locals enjoyed the goodies, happy in the knowledge that not only did they have an enjoyable morning but they managed to raise over €460.00 for a worthy cause.
As soon as the coffee morning ended, the staff sprang into action, preparing the centre for the first ever Culture Night event being held at the following evening. Some beautiful pieces of art from our Monday morning Art Class graced the walls and some photography that were borrowed from the exhibit that the Level 3 art class held in Manorhamilton, were suspended in the windows. The staff were both excited and terrified, desperately wanting the event to be a success.
It was an overwhelming success, the Choir of Ages sang so beautifully. The combination of songs like their classic version ‘Both Sides Now’ and newer songs like Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ filled the centre. The choir’s melodies were sweet yet strong. Dave, their choirmaster, guided them to give a performance that was so perfect for the location and night.
Then we were blown away with dancers from the Faragher McLoughlin Dancers. The absolute perfection of their steps was amazing to see. But one thing that stuck me is the joy and pride each dancer took in performing. They seemed so happy dancing. You really felt honoured to watch them.
We were so delighted with Culture Night that it seemed that all at the centre was walking on air for a few days. Which brought us to the Wednesday night and the Love Where You Live awards which was being hosted by Leitrim County Council and Leitrim PPN. Rossinver Calling was nominated in the Social Inclusion Category. With so many other worthy groups and organisations in Leitrim, we didn’t think that we had much of a chance. So you can imagine our joy when we were announced as the Runner-up!
We are very proud of Rossinver Calling and we know how much its helps its clients to prevent loneliness and sadness. We don’t need awards to run Rossinver Calling but it is nice to be recognised for the work we do. It was a fantastic way to round off a very busy week. 
