The Community Centre
As I head towards 50 I want to say some thank yous
Not far from where the house I grew up there was the Community Centre. Someone had the foresight when building a new estate to build a centre for the community.
On a Sunday I would go to it for St Columba’s (Church of Ireland) Sunday school. The newly built church also to serve the estate was only half a mile away but it was located in Redmanville. There were two newly built estates one called Corcrain and the other Redmanville. I assume Redmanville was built first with Corcrain being built later. They backed one onto the other and to the stranger, they would not know where one started and the other ended. The local however knew. So you had the Corcrainers and the Redmanvillites.
The church must have recognised this so they started a Sunday school in the community centre. Redmanville may have had the church but Corcrain had the Community Centre.
So on a Sunday, I would traipse with my two sisters to Sunday school. When I got older probably around seven I could go to the Monday night Children’s meetings hosted by the Brethern. Adult males dressed in suits would stand as teachers did at school at the end of rows of us kids. We would sing with the lid on the piano in the far righthand corner firmly shut, “ C-O-M-E come its all he asks of me, Christ is all the world there is nothing left for…..” We would then learn a memory verse and recite it, “John chapter 3 verse 3 says, ‘Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again he will not see the kingdom of heaven.’” Those who said it correctly in front of everyone got a bar of chocolate. As you left there was a collection plate. You would throw in ‘a lock of coppers’ and help yourself to some sweets. Most of us kids were prepared to go just for the chance of winning a Mars bar and getting a few ‘Refreshers’ on the way home.
Sometime before I was 7 ‘The Playscheme’ started. My oldest sister could go and then the one above me but I had to wait until I was 7. I couldn’t wait. I heard all these stories about ‘The Playscheme’ but yet I wanted to be in the stories. It was like hearing of heaven but not being able to go. The day did come when I could go and I loved it. It took place each day after school from Monday to Friday. It started at 4 pm and ended around 5 30 pm just in time for you to go home and get your tea.
Many kids from both estates would come and play. Some would play football others would play board games. There was a lot of resources and ‘the leaders’ were on hand to give you a bit of attention if you needed it. By the age of 10, I was organising Jumble sales to raise money for it to buy us new games and equipment. Someone gave me an old pram and I went about the estates with it collecting food, clothes and bric-a-brac for ‘our sale’.
By the age of 12, I was ready for Junior High and it was at this point I would leave, ‘The Playscheme’. In the same year, I would also move estates from Corcrain to Edgarstown.
I am thankful for those people who created activities for me as a Corcrain kid, those who ran the Sunday school, the Children’s meeting and the Playschool.
Best day,
g
