Buy a brick for Lorrha shop
Fundraising campaign relaunched to complete SCEAL community shop and café
A ‘Buy a Brick’ fundraising campaign has been relaunched in Lorrha in order to complete the construction of a permanent home for the village's community shop and café.
Construction began in early June on the long-awaited project at St Ruadhán's Hall in the village, which will be the only shop in the villages of Lorrha, Rathcabbin and Redwood. Efforts are now being strengthened to raise adequate funding to support the full completion of the construction.
Almost €240,000 in grant funding has already been secured as part of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, “to extend the community hall and to renovate existing space at St Ruadhán's Hall, Lorrha, to provide a community centre and remote working hub that complements the existing community services (café and shop) provided by the community centre.”
However, an ambitious drive to fundraise an additional €75,000 through the ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign is also necessary to support the completion of this essential project. The ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign was launched in recent years, with €100 donations coming from across the parish, as well as from many individuals and community organisations in Ireland and abroad.
So far, over €17,000 has been raised and the SCEAL committee is asking people, families and community groups in the parish of Lorrha and further afield to contribute to the completion of a long-term home for an essential amenity.
Chairperson of SCEAL, Patrick Cahalan, outlined the significance of this development:
“The SCEAL community shop in Lorrha is now the last remaining shop in the three villages of Lorrha, Rathcabbin and Redwood. People in the parish, across Ireland, and across the world have been hugely generous in donating €100 for bricks, and we're so grateful for the support shown so far.
“The construction of this permanent home for the shop in Lorrha isn't a want. It's an essential need, and public support is critical to maintain its presence in the short, medium and long-term.”
Anybody who wishes to donate €100 to the ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign can do so by visiting the SCEAL shop in Lorrha (Eircode: E45 A097), or making the donation online to SCEAL's Paypal account, by searching for ‘Sceal Society Limited’.
SCEAL (Social Community Enterprise for the Advancement of Lorrha/Rathcabbin) was established in 2016 in response to the closure of the last shop in the village, and as well as evolving to manage a seven-day per week community shop, it also promotes the rich cultural and historical background of the parish.