Journalist, author and songwriter John Waters will be back in his native Castlerea on Friday, July 20th to launch the Trinity Arts Challenge, a project which aims to transform the former Holy Trinity Church building into a cultural and arts centre for the town. The evening will also see the launch of the Trinity Arts website www.castlereaarts.com. The event takes place in Hell’s Kitchen at 8.30 pm on Friday, July 20th. The project has already received both Clár and Arigna Leader. Castlerea Community Arts Group responded to this recent injection of capital funds by looking within their local community for additional match funding resources. The result is called the ‘Trinity Arts Patronage Scheme’. The scheme is designed to target contributions along a sliding scale to include both corporate and individual donations. Since the essence of the project is focused on restoration and preservation of the existing building, Corporate donations are linked to sponsorship of the existing stained glass windows which are over 180 years old. These include the main stained glass window valued at a sponsorship contribution of €50,000, two church house windows at €30,000 and six new design stained glass windows at €10,000 each. Each window will include a personal inscription with the name of each donor. Corporate sponsorship is also welcomed towards other specific elements of the project e.g. auditorium lighting systems, auditorium sound systems, cinema screen and creative enterprise units. ‘We are depending upon the generosity of our local businesses,’ said Breege Callaghan, Chairperson of Castlerea Community Arts Group. ‘The increased revenue that will be generated in the town once the project is completed will more than compensate for any contributions made at this time, it is an investment in the town’s future and is money well spent.’ Donations to the scheme are recognised by having donors’ names inscribed on a lifetime plaque, which will be affixed in the theatre. This donation of a €1,000 is fully tax deductible. The Patronage Scheme also accounts for individual contributions through the ‘Friends of Trinity Arts’ component. The ‘Gold Friends’, ‘Silver Friends’ and ‘Bronze Friends’ structure targets individual families and smaller businesses in the area who can elect to pledge donations of €500, €250 and €100 respectively over a five year period as a means of making a meaningful contribution to future match funding. The Castlerea Community Arts Group registered as a charity and therefore all contributions to the project whether personal or corporate will quality for tax relief thereby reducing the net costs of subscription significantly. ‘The ‘Make it Happen Match Funding evening’ is the ideal opportunity for the local community to make a generous donation to this project’, states Breege. ‘We hope that people will show their support by coming along on the night and allowing us to kick start the next wave of match funding which will go a long way in ensuring the continued development of this exciting and much anticipated arts culture and tourism project.’ Upon completion the centre will boast a 220-seat theatre, artist workspace and exhibition space, a tourist information centre, and cinema film facilities.
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