Phone: 0719176721
Email: info@benwiskincentre.com
Pillar: Community
Address: Gortnahoula, Ballintrillick, Co. Sligo, F91 A389
The aim of Ballintrillick Environmental Group (BEG) is to generate community goodwill, community spirit, and local economic development in the Ballintrillick area while safeguarding the natural environment. The objectives of BEG are to:- Preserve and enhance the local environment Provide social amenities and activities and Contribute to social, economic, cultural, and environmental development through the provision of integrated social economy programmes. Ballintrillick Environmental Group T/A The Benwiskin Centre, was founded in 1992 in response to significant illegal dumping in the local area. The first event was a community-wide clean-up, which has continued and is now an annual event. In 1995, a company limited by guarantee with charitable status was established. Early initiatives included the purchase of a former mill site, which was developed as a four-acre recreational amenity area. Following this, BEG secured funding to redevelop a former school as a community centre/hostel, and, in 2000, the Benwiskin Centre opened with accommodation for up to 30 people and community space for classes, social events, meetings, etc. Hostel revenues support the ongoing operations and maintenance of the Centre as well as a range of community activities and projects. Environmental concerns remain our priority and we continue to raise awareness of the importance of having a clean environment and recent projects have included the installation of solar energy and wood pellet boiler systems. In 2012, The Benwiskin Centre was listed ‘Number One’ in the ‘Top Five Green Hostels in Europe’ in an article written for National Geographic’s Traveller Magazine. The Centre is the focal point of the Ballintrillick community and BEG makes every effort to deliver a wide range of services and activities benefitting residents of the local area and the wider North Sligo region. Activities and events at the Centre include: • Classes, e.g. Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Computer skills, etc. • Year-round weekly activities include Parents and Toddlers group, card games, a community garden project, 12th Sligo Ballintrillick Scouts and North Sligo Community Walking Group meetings • Annual events such as Halloween, Harvest, and Christmas fairs and Summer Camps, etc. The Centre offers important services to a community that has in recent years lost its post office, shop, pub, and Co-Op store and is a lifeline for many local residents and families who would otherwise endure rural isolation. The Centre is also a local employer with three full-time and two part-time employees and paid opportunities for approximately 13 tutors annually and seasonal help. The Centre is available for hire as a venue for functions, events, and activities. Other Centre services include a community and mobile laundry, community office, mobile library, and bicycle hire