The Dulux Let’s Colour project was founded in an attempt to brighten up the mood of the nation by adding a dash of colour to communities, and it has been heartily embraced in Galway. One particularly valiant effort can be found at Youth Work Ireland in Ballinasloe whose resource centre was badly flooded last year.
Its youth cafe is a haven for young people after school where they can use computers, play games in a safe environment, and help young people with the challenges which many face, including drugs, alcohol, suicide, and unemployment.
According to community youth worker, Olive Shaughnessy: “We are so grateful for the help we are getting from the Let’s Colour Project, this has enabled us to paint the building and restore our youth cafe to its original glory. Young people need bright and inspiring spaces to keep them positive about the future. It has been a hard year since the flooding and this help from Dulux has given us all such a lift.
“The interior décor of the café has been chosen by the local youth committee with the support of Athlone IT students, but being able to do up the outside was, we thought, beyond our reach. People do not always have positive things to say about young people, but in our case young people have been really generous with their time, their ideas and effort. They will have a youth centre that reflects their true value.”
The Dulux Let’s Colour Project has helped 250 community projects in total, including 30 Scout halls, 12 children’s homes, two hospitals, 50 community and youth centres, five homes for older people, four tourism projects, 10 schools, 36 sports clubs, and one whale house tourist attraction. Among the other places to benefit in Galway are Boula Community Hall, Kilrickle Parish Hall in Loughrea, and Oifig Forbartha na Ceathra Rua.
