Lifford Old Courthouse will host a free family fun day on the June bank holiday weekend. Taking place on Saturday 4th June from 12 – 2pm, the Family Fun Day promises to be a great day out for people of all ages with children’s entertainment and storytellers, as well as a chance to explore the old jail cells.
Encouraging people to come along Gillian Graham, manager of Lifford Old Courthouse said: “We’re really looking forward to the upcoming Family Fun Day on Saturday 4th June. Entertainment will include life-size characters, a clown, magician, spot prizes, face-painters and two shows from storyteller Mr Hullabaloo at 12 and 1pm. People will be able to explore the old cells at the historic site, get their wanted poster and try out the stocks where prisoners would have been left for hours! After escaping from the cells visitors will be free to enjoy a treat in the Courthouse Bistro with a selection of hot food, home baking and speciality coffee available.”
Following the Family Fun Day, Lifford Old Courthouse will also host the first summer Afternoon Tea event from 1 – 5pm. Available for sit-in or take-away the Afternoon Tea experience costs €15 for adults and €7.50 for children and includes a delicious selection of sandwiches and sweet treats, freshly baked scones with jam and cream and a choice of teas or coffee. Early booking is advised as it’s likely to sell out.
Established over 25 years ago, Lifford Old Courthouse is a social enterprise and has an overall objective of preserving the historic building, creating local employment and promoting arts, heritage, culture and community throughout Lifford and the surrounding areas. Gillian said:
“The Family Fun Day this June is about bringing the community together and showcasing the wonderful services we have available here. It’s also about raising awareness about what social enterprises do and the importance of them. We are proud to say that all income generated through our restaurant and Jailbreak games and tours are reinvested back into the service to improve the facilities and create additional employment. We employ thirteen staff and over the years we have helped various groups in the community, including operating a Meals on Wheels service and hosting a weekly Wellness Cafe.”
“The Family Fun Day at Lifford Old Courthouse was approved by the government with support from the Dormant Accounts Fund and made possible under the ARISE Programme – an awareness raising campaign for social enterprises throughout Ireland. A social enterprise is a business that works primarily to improve the lives of people, reinvesting any profits into their core mission. Lifford Old Courthouse is one of the many social enterprises in Donegal and we are delighted to be able to show what is possible from community run groups,” Gillian ended.
As part of the funding from ARISE, Lifford Old Courthouse hosted the first ever overnight charity Jailbreak event with 13 well-known Donegal faces. The charity event raised over €7,000 for local charities and organisations and the participants are set to return to Lifford for the Family Fun Day.
Johnny Loughrey was one of the participants of Jailbreak and he raised funds for the No Barriers Foundation which is a Donegal-based social enterprise. Johnny says it’s vital to support social enterprise initiatives: “Jailbreak was a really unique fundraising night and through it, a lot of money was raised for local and national organisations. It also highlighted Lifford Old Courthouse as a venue to host fundraising nights which in turn will continue to support local jobs and reinvest money back into the enterprise and support the community.”
The Lifford Old Courthouse Family Fun Day is free admission, and all are welcome to attend. For more information on Lifford Old Courthouse visit liffordoldcourthouse.com or call +353 (0) 74 91 41733.
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