Northside Family Resource Centre Harvest Fair 2015

Christine Moloney, Harvest Fair vice-Chairperson, Ciara Kane, Centre manager, Donna McLoughlin, community ambassador, Maura Fitzgerald, Harvest Fair chairperson, Stephanie Ryan and Marie O’Brien, community ambassadors.

Happy faces yesterday at the Northside Family Resource Centre annual Harvest Fair in Ballynanty.

The annual Northside Family Resource Centre Harvest Fair was held at the centre’s premises in Ballynanty this Thursday, September 10^th.

The fair, boasting a BBQ, outdoor stage, inflatables, raffles, face-painting table and open garden, gathered the community together for a day of “family fun” for everyone involved.

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Course and programme registration was made available on the day for the coming year, with crowds gathering to submit names for the wide range of classes provided.

Ciara Kane, Northside Family Resource Centre manager, was “thrilled” to host the fair at the centre for another year, saying; “It’s just a fun day out for everyone, to get people together to enjoy the day and to register for the classes.”

The event, which “comes out of our own pocket,” is a day for the community. “It’s just something we set aside for at the end of the year.” Ms Kane said.

Kate Stoica, family support worker at the Northside centre, manned the face-painting table with other workers on the day, decorating the faces of eager children.

Speaking about the fair, Ms Stoica said: “I think it’s great to generate interest for the centre. I think it’s always important to make the centre more accessible to the community.

“It’s important that we are seen as a positive presence here,” she added.

This year, the courses available in the centre will focus around a ‘Crafts Circle’, offering courses in; silk painting, arts, crafts, sewing and flower arrangement.

A ‘Health and Wellbeing’ circle is also offered at the centre, focusing on; beauty, skincare, stress management and fitness.

With these circles, a range of traditional courses are also available, which include; swimming, cookery and ballroom dance classes. With no implemented age limits, each programme is available to anyone in the community.

Love Parenting, an organisation that aims to provide parents with the information and tools of positive parenting, showed their support at the fair with a stall, offering people pamphlets on their work and entertaining children with a range of balloon animals.

Brenda Mellett, public health nurse, attended the fair and spoke about the Love Parenting and its role, having had a “long involvement” with the centre in the past.

“Love Parenting gives advice about all the ages and stages of development in parenting.

“It’s running a campaign at the moment, where you will see signage on buses and around the city, encouraging you to mind your mental health, as a parent.” Ms Mellett said.

A suicide remembrance was held in the evening, where candles were lit and balloons were released in memory of those lost.

For queries about the centre or courses provided, call (061) 326 623 or email  [email protected]

Visit the Northside Family Resource Centre website here

Visit the Love Parenting website here

Check out the Love Parenting Facebook page here and Twitter here

Read more about the Northside Family Resource Centre here

Photos for I Love Limerick. All Rights Reserved.