Following the Trust’s success with the Coastguard Centre, members were contacted by the Society of Friends with a proposition for their Meeting Place on Upper Branch Road which wasn’t being utilised. This marked the beginning of a close relationship with the Quakers.

The Trust identified that there was a need for an after-school centre in the town and the Meeting Place building was refurbished and equipped to facilitate such a service. A garden was developed in which children could grow their own vegetables. The Tramore Development Trust Director who led the project at The Meeting Place was Sandra Thompson.

Disappointingly, government funding for this worthwhile project ceased and the service ended. The building was vacant for a number of years during which members of the Trust were approached by different groups with various ideas for its future use. However, Anne explains that all involved with the Trust were keen to select a project which closely reflected the ethos of the Friends and which matched the special atmosphere of the building.

“It has been a place of great good and there is a wonderful sense of peace and serenity,” she explains. “After so many years of good work we wanted the building to serve a similar purpose. Instinctively we knew we needed to find a special use.”

In what could be described as serendipity, the Brothers of Charity were seeking to develop a centre which would play host to a project allowing adults with special needs to further integrate into the wider community.

“It was absolutely perfect,” says Anne. Under the guidance of Hilary Deeley, service users at the Meeting Place have connected with other projects and some have taken on jobs at the café within the Coastguard Cultural Centre which has helped build confidence and independence.

As the Trust didn’t want to lose the building’s historical connections, they asked if the Society of Friends would like to hold a meeting in the building once a year. This stipulation has now been included as part of the building’s lease agreement to ensure that this tradition can continue into the future.