Members of Reading’s Irish Community gave representatives from Irish in Britain a warm and enthusiastic welcome to the Reading Irish Centre on Wednesday.
On Wednesday 9th April, the Reading & District Irish Association were pleased to welcome representatives of Irish in Britain to the Reading Irish Centre.
Irish in Britain is the national membership body for Irish community organisations in Britain – providing support and representation for our diverse network and championing our community’s interests. Their visit to the Reading Irish Centre commemorated the Reading & District Irish Association officially becoming members of Irish in Britain, joining 100 organisations, groups and societies nationally who support the Irish Community here in Britain.
The Reading & District Irish Association has been in existence since 1982, founded by a group of like-minded Irish people who had settled in Reading, who collectively wanted to preserve the Irish tradition and promote the cultural, social and general welfare of the Irish Community. Over 30 years later those objectives are still at the very core of our organisation but as times have changed, they’ve also identified the need to extend their provision of social and general welfare to the wider community of Reading.
Wednesday’s visit was a fantastic opportunity for the Reading & District Irish Association to showcase the work they are doing to support the elderly community here in Reading with their increasingly popular Weekly Pensioner’s Club held every Wednesday at the Reading Irish Centre to members of Irish in Britian’s Health Team.
The Pensioner’s Club runs from 12:00 til 16:00 every Wednesday, allowing the elderly members of the wider community to meet new people, enjoy fun & games and socialise. For just £5 per person, the Reading & District Irish Association provide lunch with tea, coffee and biscuits included or for those that fancy a cheeky tipple or two the bar will be open.
Operating on a pay as you go session, so there’s no obligation to attend every week and there’s also no need to book. Everyone is welcome as the Reading & District Irish Association is explicitly non-political and non-denominational and has a number of active non-Irish members.
Ryan Sheehan, Hon.Secretary and Communications Officer for the Reading & District Irish Association had this to say:
“It’s no secret the Reading Irish Centre has had a chequered past in recent years but Wednesday’s visit was a sign of the good work that is being done not just by the Committee but our hardworking Management & Staff to ensure the long-term future of Centre, which for many is a vital home, from home allowing the community to come together and socialise.
The visit was a fantastic success with Irish in Britain representatives speaking to Committee Members, Management, Staff and members of the community who had gathered in great numbers for our weekly lunch club. There was plenty of positive discussions and our relationship with Irish in Britain is now all the more stronger.
Situated on the outskirts of Reading Town Centre and only a short walk from Reading Railway Station, the Centre is ideally located & includes a fully licensed members lounge where we host live music, quiz nights and race nights on a regular basis. Members can also enjoy live sports whether it be Football, Rugby or GAA along with a Pool Table and Dartboard and hot food is regularly served, you can find out much more about what’s on by finding the Reading Irish Centre on Facebook, just search for ‘Reading Irish Centre’.
