Last function in Stewart Memorial Hall

THE 58th annual All Saints Church Clooney Horticultural Show at the Stewart Memorial Hall on Glendermott Road on Saturday was the last function to be held in the venue.

The Stewart Memorial Hall is to be replaced by a new 4,000sq ft hall which is expected to cost in the region of 750,000. The present hall, which bears the inscription Stewart National School 1862, is due to be demolished inside the next few months and it is hoped that the new building will be ready within 12 months.

The brickwork bearing the inscription is being incorporated into the new building.

The flower show was officially opened by the former All Saints’ rector, Canon John Mayes, who was rector when the hall redevelopment was first thought of nine years ago,

“It’s great to see everything coming together and the new hall will be an asset for the area,” he said.

The proposed new building will have a major sports hall, meeting rooms, offices and a modern kitchen. It will also have a pedestrian access from the Maydown Ebringtron Centre at the rear of the property to make it safer for adults, disabled and young people using the facilities.

Disabled drivers will be able to drive through a modern, new entrance at Bonds Place and park at the front of the new building, which will be landscaped.

“I’m hoping that we will soon be advertising for a contractor to build the hall,” said rector, Malcolm Ferry.

The parish, under Rev Ferry has launched the ‘All Saints’ Caring Association’ to take the social outreach of the parish to a new level with the building of the hall and opening of offices at Melrose Terrace.

The work of the association will concentrate on support of the family unit in the Waterside area, with outreach work targeting all sections of the community and all types of ‘family unit’.

This work has already built links with the Waterside Area Partnership, Derry Cuity Council and other voluntary and statutory groups.

The All Saints’ Caring Association was set up to promote care for the family throughout the Waterside area and was born out of work previously undertaken by the parish church acknowledging the need to reach outside of its parish to contribute to the vision of a peaceful, cohesive, inclusive, prosperous and healthy society.

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