EXCITING TIMES FOR REMEMBER US SPECIAL NEEDS GROUP.
July 2018
Just an update on the fit out of our new base. Work is progressing and now we can see the formation of all our rooms. Hand over date as of now is the end of September. On the ground floor. We will have an office. A recreational room for our teen and adult members with a pool table, air hockey, football table, games table, laptop stations, TV etc. We will also have a wheelchair accessible toilet/shower with hoist, male/female toilets, staff/visitor toilet, data room, cleaners room, kitchen, store room , lift and sports hall. We extended the existing mezzanine and upstairs we will have a sensory room, a parents room with TV, tea and coffee making facilities info stand, a junior recreation room for our under 12’s with lego/book/dress up/art n crafts corner etc. Also we will have 3 activity rooms, storage room and 2 wheelchair accessible toilets. So all n all a big project. Without the massive support of our super Patrons, Local companies/business ( check out our website for full list) our Grant Providers ( Rural Dublin Leader, Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Department of Transport, tourism and Sport, Fingal County Council ) and the community in general all of above would not be possible. A million trillion thanks to everyone to date for making our members dream come true. Nora
April 2018
We are delighted to advise all our members, families and supporters that work on our new base is now seriously underway. A few delays along the way but it’s onward and upwards from here on. We will keep you advised of progress over the coming months Needless to say we are super excited and can’t wait to get in by the end of the year.
January 2018
There was great excitement when the keys were handed over to the contractor Dartmouth and the first piece of machinery arrived on site.
Our plans for the property include extending the existing mezzanine which will see the building increase from its current 7,400sq. ft. to 10,000sq ft. When completed, the building will include the following:-
1. AN OFFICE – to accommodate 3-4 people.
2. A SPORTS HALL -which will be used for our club sports activities, parties etc.
3. A KITCHEN – Our kitchen will be for when have cookery session, events etc
4. A RECREATION/GAMES ROOM- this will be a permanent fixture with pool table/air hockey/football table, laptops, T.V. Games etc to be used by our teen/adult members as a meeting point to socialise with their friends.
5. A JUNIOR RECREATIONAL ROOM- this will have a dress up corner, lego corner, arts n crafts corner, book corner and more.
6 2 LARGE ACTIVITY ROOMS. – For our activities like drama, music, arts n crafts etc.
7 A SENSORY ROOM – this will be a quiet space fitted with soft furnishings and special sensory equipment. A vital vital space for young people with autism/Challenging behaviour, therapies etc.
8 A MEETING ROOM
9 A FAMILY ROOM- where our parents can arrange to meet other parents for a tea and chat, share information or just relax while and their child is participating in their club.
10 STORAGE SPACE.
11 TOILETS including a wheelchair accessible toilet with hoist, changing table and shower
12 A SECOND STAIRCASE and A Lift
The sensory room will be a great asset to the base. It will provide a calm tactile space for our members with autism and challenging behaviours and can be used for therapy sessions.
The recreational room will allow us to open earlier for our teen/adult members where they can come and meet their friends, play a game of pool/game etc or just sit and chat.
The sports hall will give our members more opportunities to keep fit by playing various sports/games.
The junior recreational room will be a great benefit to our younger members as we will have a dress up corner, arts n crafts corner, book corner, lego corner and more.
Our parents room will allow parents to meet up for a cuppa and chat, gain and share information.
Our activity rooms will allow us to provide more activities
We will also be able to run information evenings, fundraising event and so much more
All this has been made possible by the very generous support of our patrons, fundraising partners, friends of remember us, Rural Dublin Leader for their grant, local companies, business, sponsors/donors, everyone who supported our fundraising events. Check out our website www.rememberus.ie for full list of supporters.
Words cannot express how grateful we are to everyone who supported us to date.
YOU HAVE MADE OUR MEMBERS DREAM A REALITY. FOR THIS WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL
We continue to Fundraise for our day to day activities (check fundraising) for full list.
2016 saw Remember Us celebrating its 18th anniversary. We have come a long way over those years and we have been mindful for some time that we really need ‘A Home’ for our organisation. Currently we rent a small office in Balbriggan and we hire out various rooms and halls to cater for our activities. This fact has meant that we are restricted in the scope and range of activities we can offer our members. This is also an extra cost to our organisation and means we have to transport our equipment required each time for our various activities.
Over the years, through active fundraising and prudent housekeeping, we had managed to save €150K towards the cost of purchasing a home of our own. In March 2014 we dediced that the time was right to actively pursue our goal of acquiring our own Base and we engaged in a “second prong” fundraising drive to raise the remaining funds needed to accomplish this.
***On 23rd February 2016 we had raised enough to purchase Unit 5 Balbriggan Retail Park***
The property is 7,400sq. ft. with a mezzanine. It is ideally situated with plenty of parking and it is also on a bus route for ease of access for those travelling by public dtransport. The property is a shell and core which will allow us to fit it out and tailor it to our needs. As a shell and core property it has no utilities.
Having a permanent location and presence in the community would further help our members to be accepted and participate in the community. It would allow us to further develop our range of programmes and increase our membership.
We have appointed a steering committee to manage the fit out project. A design team consisting of a Project Manager, an Architect, a Quantity Surveyor and a Mechanical and Electrical Engineer has been appointed.
Plans were drawn up and submitted for planning permission which was granted on 20th June 2016. A pretender cost plan was drawn up by our Q.S. and the team are currently preparing to go to tender.
Included in our plans we intend to extend the existing mezzanine which will see the building extended from it’s current 7,400sq. ft. to 10,000sq ft
Our Plans Include:-
1. AN OFFICE – to accommodate 2-3 people.
2. A SPORTS HALL -which would be used for our club sports activities.
3. A KITCHEN – Our kitchen be used by our members as a place to meet and
interact with each other in a safe secure environment. It will also be used by the
parents as well as for educational purposes. Our kitchen will provide our
members a safe, secure, supported environment where they can learn vital
independent-living and self-help skills.
4. A RECREATION/GAMES ROOM– this would be a permanent fixture with pool
table/air hockey/darts etc. to be used by our members as a ‘chill room’ and when
they drop in.
5. 2 ACTIVITY ROOMS. -Both need to be wheelchair accessible/adapted and they
need to be big enough to hold at least 25/30 adults.
6. A SENSORY ROOM – this would be a quiet space fitted with soft furnishings
and special sensory equipment.
7. A MEETING ROOM
8. A FAMILY ROOM– where our parents can relax while and their child is
participating in their club.
9. STORAGE SPACE.
10. TOILETS
While we will always need to fundraise for the running costs of the group we, through our ‘second prong’ fundraising drive, aim to raise the funds needed for the ‘fit out’ of the property by encouraging more Patrons and Sponsors to come on board. We will continue to run a variety of fundraising events in partnership with our very supportive fundraising partners.
We will also be looking to businesses in the community to sponsor rooms, equipment, etc.
We have now embarked on Phase 2 of our fundraising campaign to raise the funds needed to MAKE THIS SPACE OUR HOME. Remember Us is a vital, vibrant group and has become a ‘LIFELINE’ for our members and their families. We now realise that the key to our future is in owning our own home where our ‘family’ can grow.
We, at Remember Us, are committed and driven to provide the best possible service to our members, as after all THEY ARE WORTH IT!
We now need YOUR HELP to turn THIS SPACE into OUR NEW BASE!