Cassi McAllister, Centre Manager is building community at the Roundhouse

Before today, I’d never met Cassi McAllister – she’s the Centre Manager for The Roundhouse, the community centre created by Braddan Commissioners – but she greeted me as though she was welcoming in an old friend. With enviously curly, blonde hair and shoulders that looked like she could lift a truck without breaking a sweat, she exuded warmth and positivity, alongside an energy that was infectious. I liked her instantly.

‘So, my history is in the construction industry, although not on the tools. I’ve also been a taxi driver, and spent 14 years working in the prison service here on the island, with the most recent position as a senior officer. So, coming to The Roundhouse has been a complete change.’

Multi-talented, Cassi goes on, revealing where she probably got her spectacular shoulders from.

‘I was also a competitive kickboxer, boxer, and coach in my late teens and 20’s when boxing wasn’t the done thing for women. There were times when my coaches had lined up bouts in the UK and sponsors had asked for the female bout to be pulled off the card. However, the sports people and coaches everywhere within boxing were incredible, very welcoming and positive role models. I went to the inaugural ABA Female box camp and some of the big names in female boxing like Nicola Adams, Tasha Jonas, and Savannah Marshall were training alongside me.’

‘Those are all male dominated fields,’ I said to Cassi, impressed to say the least. ‘What drew you to them?’

‘I do wonder if my name drew me to them,’ Cassi tells me laughing. ‘Because the meaning of my name in the book my name came from said that Cassi translated as “man’s work mate,” believe it or not. So, it’s funny that I ended up in all these sectors that were male dominated.’

Incredible. It was written in the stars it seems. ‘And how did you find working in those fields?’ I asked. Cassi takes a moment to think before answering.

‘They are tough industries to work in. You have to be very independent, which in a positive way can make you resilient. But it can also make you a bit fragile and uncertain. So, for example, trying to access flexible working when you’ve got family can be difficult, especially with regards to shifts. And while there is provision for that to happen, it’s not always accepted culturally, and those were very hard waters to navigate. It was a lot, especially on top of carrying the mental load of trying to have a career, trying to manage your family and a household, and then look after yourself.’

I’ve recently been reading a lot about the difference between equality and equity, which immediately popped into my head while listening to what Cassi was describing. But before mentioning it, she took the words right out of my mouth.

‘We talk about equality all the time, but there’s a huge misconception where people think “equality” is everyone having the same opportunity, but equity is almost always missing from the conversation. The two are different. Equity is giving people the tools or adjustments they need to be able to carry out that same, equal opportunity. That can include things like flexible working, for someone with mobility issues it may be a piece of equipment, each need is different. And, like I said, sometimes it’s not always the lack of provision that prevents equity, it’s the culture and attitudes. Being made to feel like you’re being given special treatment or favours when really, those things that create a culture of equity in the workplace should be automatic.’

‘Can you expand on the culture aspect and how it made you feel?’ I asked.

‘It’s really hard’, Cassi sighs, ‘because people can do and say great things, but actually how something makes you feel is what you remember. Anyone having a family, you know, it’s really tough, unless you’ve got support. At one point I was a single parent and a senior prison officer. In the short term it felt like there was good support, but in the long-term guilt can creep in as the ‘favour’ starts to expire. My circumstances changed over time; I met my partner and received pressure to relinquish my flexible working arrangements, or not use it, the situation was way more complex than what appeared on the surface. I am sure that many families will be able to relate to this.’

The silver lining of these experiences is how much Cassi learned about the culture she wanted to create after moving to The Roundhouse, one with a community vibe that matches the purpose of the space itself.

I use The Roundhouse every Sunday for basketball and always walk into a warm, relaxed, clean, and welcoming environment, so I would say Cassi has nailed that community culture. It’s also a complete 180 from her former workplaces in the amount of women Cassi now works with.

‘It’s been so refreshing,’ Cassi tells me after I asked how the move to Braddan Commissioners was. ‘And besides the gym, all the businesses in The Roundhouse are run by women, which is awesome,’ Cassi tells me beaming. ‘The office staff are majority female, and the analytics from our socials show that 82.1% of our followers are female.’

I didn’t actually realise the sheer number of businesses hiding in plain sight at The Roundhouse. It really is a space designed to cater to the needs of the community as much as possible. There’s Regent Dental, Sensory Hub, Little Cherubs Nursery, heARTspace Art Therapy, Aalid Feie Beauty, and Caffee Roundhouse Eatery, all run by women. Plus it will soon add a new branch of Clear Pharmacy into the mix. And all this on top of an indoor soft play (created after the Sea Terminal play area closed down), outdoor play areas, a walking track, village green, room hire, event space, lifestyle gym, and a sports hall.

They also host Gals Skate girls-only skateboard sessions, have the Family Library visiting every two weeks, and on March 12 are hosting a Manx nostalgia event.

‘We really try to target families and how we can benefit them,’ Cassi tells me. ‘The discos we put on, we sell the tickets for a fiver each and only charge for children, because a lot of seasonal experiences are pricey; a family of five could be paying close to £100 for them. Here, if you’ve got a family of five, you’re paying £15, and you can pay to have your face painted on top of that. But we give away free bags of sweets at discos to make sure everyone’s got something. There are loads of amazing things to do on the Isle of Man, especially outdoors, but if you get a rainy day, we’re here.’

The one aspect of The Roundhouse that is lacking in female representation is the Board of Braddan Commissioners.

‘The Board of Commissioners is great, but it’s all male and has been for the current term of office. You should have heard me trying to negotiate hairdryers, we will revisit those in 2026! But I think now, with the Local Authority Election on April 24, there’s a great opportunity to get involved. The Board meets every two weeks and it’s a really nice environment to bounce ideas off one another, so women, put yourself forward!’

No matter how good a Board is, if it is solely made up of one demographic it will always hit a ceiling when it comes to knowing and understanding the needs of other people. The best way to get equity is to have representation of women and minority groups at the table where decisions are being made. To find out more, head on over to braddan.im

As I was leaving, I walked past an artist peacefully touching up one of the lovely, colourful signs The Roundhouse has painted on the walls around the building, and it highlighted to me the importance The Roundhouse places on the little things. Those little things go a long way in creating a wholesome, cared for environment, which, in turn, can help the people using it and hopefully those working there feel wholesome and cared for too.