Glenariffe Community & Recreation Centre

Glenariffe Community and Recreation Centre is owned and managed by the Friends of Glenariffe. The Centre opened in June 2019 after a 10-year community project to raise the funding required to provide a community facility for Glenariffe.

The Centre project cost of £1.1m was funded by a combination of grant funding from The Big Lottery’s Space & Place Programme, Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council and Ulster Garden Villages, a loan from Ulster Community Investment Trust and our community who raised over £340,000 through local fundraising initiatives.

We would like to acknowledge all our funders, community volunteers and supporters both near and far without whom this Centre would not have been possible. We are also indebted to Oisins CLG for leasing the land for the Centre and for their continued and consistent support.

Our Funders

Friends of Glenariffe would like to thank all our funders, donors and supporters who so generously contributed towards the cost of the Centre build project.

The Centre Team

Glenariffe Community & Recreation Centre is managed by the Friends of Glenariffe and operates as a community organisation. The Centre is largely operated by community volunteers and employs a Senior Health and Fitness Instructor who is responsible for Gym 208 and our programme of fitness classes. We have a Management Committee of 15 and a Board of Trustees. If you would like to join our committee, we would welcome your help and input.

The Gym 208 Team
Our Volunteers

We are also supported by a fantastic team of local volunteers who give their time, skills and many hours of hard work to help with community events, fundraising, maintaining, cleaning and running the Centre. If you can spare a few hours to spend on reception or helping out with cleaning, community events, marketing or site maintenance, please contact us at the Centre.

Our Aims and Objectives

Friends of Glenariffe (FoG) is a registered charity which was established to manage the planning, construction and running of a new fully inclusive, universally accessible community facility for Glenariffe and the wider local community. The aim of the Glenariffe Community and Recreation Centre is to bring communities together and encourage healthier lifestyles for all.

Our Purpose

Our Charity purpose is to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Glenariffe and surrounding area without distinction of gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, or political, religious or other opinion by associating with voluntary and community organisations, statutory organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to:

  • Provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and other leisure time occupations with the object of improving the conditions of life for residents.
  • Promote cultural and arts activities.
  • Advance community development by providing facilities and amenities for community and voluntary groups and organisations.
  • Advance education and training. 
Our Aims & Objectives

Our main aims are to increase community physical and mental well-being, promote social inclusion, help address the disadvantages of rural isolation suffered by people living in the area, and to bring people together of all ages, abilities, social and political backgrounds to avail of healthy and constructive recreational, social and community development opportunities in a safe, accessible and fully inclusive environment.

Our objectives are:

  • To increase social inclusion by catering for the needs of the whole local community. at the Centre
  • To build the capacity of the local community through the provision of an accessible and inclusive local space and place.
  • To promote a healthier and more active lifestyle for local children, young people, adults, the elderly and those with disabilities.
  • To promote and actively seek partnership working opportunities which facilitate links with community groups, support organisations and statutory agencies to better connect local people and communities.
Our Supporters

The construction of Glenariffe Community & Recreation Centre would not have been possible without the phenomenal support of our community and the wider communities. We are still dependent on financial support to help us operate and maintain the Centre. You can contribute to this support by making a monthly covenant donation and becoming a Friend of Glenariffe. To find out how to become a Friend of Glenariffe, please click here:  Support Us

Friends of Glenariffe Board of Trustees

John McIntosh (Chair), Sheila Burns (Assistant Treasurer), Niall Wheeler, Padraig McIlwaine, Margaret McIlwaine, Fern Major, Stephen Kelly.

Telephone

028 2177 1585

Location

Glenariffe Community & Recreation Centre, 208 Garron Road, Glenariffe, Co Antrim, BT44 0RB