Community barbecue in Hanover Park was biggest and best yet

HANOVER Park in Carlow town was positively buzzing with life when the community outreach group Younity hosted its annual family-friendly barbecue.

Families from all over Carlow town came to the park to play games, listen to live music, meet up with their friends and enjoy a delicious barbecue.

The theme for this year’s event was for everyone to ‘embrace positivity, the future starts here’, which set the tone for the afternoon. Mayor of Carlow cllr Fergal Browne officially opened the event and thankfully, the weather was ideal for the community picnic.

“It went really well. We served over 450 burgers and sausages. There were about 500 people at it so it was great,” said organiser Jolly O’Rock.

Volunteers spent hours cooking at the barbecue, while youngsters ran around the park competing in racing games or playing basketball. There were outdoor games, too, thanks to Carlow Sports Partnership, and a face-painter, who did great work.

And thanks to the generosity of many businesses from around Carlow town, raffle prizes including vouchers and hampers were up for grabs.

Some of the businesses that donated vouchers included McDonald’s, Apache Pizza, Supermac’s and SuperValu, while Dunnes Stores donated some cakes. Askea Pharmacy, Chemco Pharmacy and Kevin Kelly Pharmacy all gave wonderful prizes for the raffle, too. The Presbyterian Church and Carlow County Council also gave generously.

The ToGo store in Graiguecullen donated almost 90 toys, while thanks to County Carlow Development Partnership, the youngsters all received party bags.

The barbecue was such a success that Jolly and the committee are already making plans for next year’s event.