'Electricity doubled, gas and oil have gone through roof'

After nearly two and a half years of no income due to the pandemic, followed by the worst cost of living crisis in 40 years, the hard-working management committee at Streete Parish Park have just about enough in their coffers to cover next year’s insurance premium, chairperson Kevin Brady says.

“Electricity has more than doubled, while gas and oil refills have gone through the roof. We also have our walking track which is lit from dusk until 10.30 at night,” said Kevin.

“With the two and half years of Covid, we are finding it difficult because we had no income in that period of time. All the things that we would run to cover our costs throughout the year like our vintage shows, our tractor runs, which would bring an income in to try and buffer and balance up the books. We haven’t had them, which puts a tremendous strain [on finances].

“Also the other club meetings, such as basketball and soccer, and other things that happened in the hall, those things didn’t happen during Covid and we hand no income from them either. We were completely shut down and unfortunately we weren’t entitled to get any back-up payments like a business. We really have suffered.”

The centre has been able to avail of what Kevin describes as “little pockets” of funding from Westmeath County Council to help with its reopening costs after lockdown.

“Although these little pockets were small, €300 or €150, they were very good. They helped pay the little things and contributed towards the costs of reopening the centre.

“To get it reopened [after the last lockdown] took a lot of money. We had to have all this Covid stuff in place and do painting and other bits that needed to be done because we had no Community Employment scheme workers during Covid, as they had all been laid off.”

While the centre try to keep costs down by implementing energy saving measures, it’s not easy, says Kevin, who is one of the volunteers at the parish park, and also the general manager of the centre.

“There is only so much you can do. You can tell clubs to turn off all unnecessary lights and don’t do this and don’t do that, but people are creatures of habit. They are going to put on a light going into a room and sometimes walk out without switching it off.

“We don’t have a caretaker to open up and lock up, which means there is no one oversee lights that are left on. That can become a burden where you are continuously running back to the centre to make sure everything is locked up and switched off.

“It is a burden on the committee as well that you have to be double checking all the time that everything is switched off.”

Looking ahead, Kevin believes something has to be done to ensure the viability of community centres. He agrees with the proposal by Cllr Denis Leonard that the supports provided to households and businesses to help them cope with rising energy bills should be extended to the community and voluntary sectors. We have just about enough funds to pay our insurance for this year, which also increased in price. It means we will have to work extra hard in the new year to do runs and all kinds of thing to bring in funding to cover electricity, oil, gas and the basic needs for the running of the centre.

“We are picking money out of the pockets of people who can’t afford to contribute any more because their own costs of living have equally gone through the roof.

“So the people you were depending on for their generosity are now struggling. It’s a bigger burden, a bigger task.

“I would gladly welcome a meeting with Minister Heather Humphreys or some other government minister or county councillors. We could sit down at a table and work out a plan for community centres, because a busy centre like ours really does need a full-time manager, a person who keeps their finger on the pulse and brings in additional funding throughout the year.

“It has come to a stage in the life of community centre that you are dependent on the civic bodies like Westmeath County Council or government handouts or support to keep centres alive especially in rural communities.”