Community fundraiser for improvement works in the West

By Kernan Andrews

A car boot sale is taking place in the Henry Street, St Joseph’s Avenue, and St John’s Terrace area this Sunday at 3pm to raise funds for a community renovation project.

For the past two years residents in the area have been working on turning derelict ground into a community space. Now they are almost there.

The space which is behind a triangle of houses bordering the three streets was in a condition that made it unusable for any purpose as there were problems with fly tipping, dog fouling, and drainage problems.

As a result, a community group led by Gus Sammin and Ollie Walsh took up the challenge of converting it into a resource for the residents. The land is owned by the Galway City Council which also provided assistance with the work. Fundraising gigs and events also took place to help with the costs.

“By December we had got to the point where between the funds we had raised and what the council could afford, we were able to get a large batch of the work done,” said Ollie. “This included clearing out the area, levelling it, getting the drainage fixed and resurfacing it. This has been a massive improvement.”

With works almost complete the community group is organising a last push to get funds in to complete the job.

“To finish it off we need to get the walls painted, get some benches, plants and the like,” said Gus. “We’ll be doing the work ourselves, but we need to buy the supplies.”

To start this process, the community is holding a car boot sale in the renovated area this Sunday at 3pm. The residents and friends have donated a range of items for sale with all funds going to the community. They are encouraging people to go and support the community and pick up a bargain while there.