SPRINGHILL Community House have been celebrating 50 years of operations with a ‘Back to The Future’ day of events including bingo, street games and a wheelie bin race.
 
The event formed part of a series to mark their fiftieth anniversary which has included a screening of the Father Des film and the launch of Father Des’ archive. Later this year, they will also launch a new book on Ballymurphy and hold an event in Father Des’ memory in November.
 
Speaking to the Andersonstown News after the event, Ciarán Cahill from Springhill Community House thanked the local community for their support.
 
“To celebrate our achievements and thank our community we held a Back to the Future fun day featuring some 1970's and later festival favourites including football, cribby, rounders, 50 plus tea party, bingo, bouncy castles and a wheelie bin race.
 
“By far the highlight of the day was the Wheelie Bin race which saw six competitors run the gauntlet of flour throwers and water bombers who lined Springhill Avenue – Seamus Bracken was victorious.”

Ciarán said that the idea for the fun day came from reflecting on the project over the last 50 years.
 
“We wanted in some way to thank the community for what they have done. We looked back on the early 70s and later and how the Community House was involved in raising the morale of the area during the conflict by starting the community festival.
 
“It was important for us to reflect on that and do some of the events that we would have done over the years including the football tournament and the wheelie bin race.
 
“We would like to thank all those who took part in the events who each received a commemorative Springhill Community House 50th Anniversary medal.
 
“We would also like to thank all those community activists, Springhill Residents' Group, Upper Springfield resource Centre and Cumann Spoirt an Phobail who made the events possible and we look forward to continuing our work for the next 50 years.”