Irish President Mary McAleese, today, (Friday 3rd April 2009) officially opened a new £1.4m volunteer centre for Corrymeela in Ballycastle. The new centre, which offers both self-contained and shared living spaces, will be used by both local and international volunteers to help Corrymeela deliver its wide range of community programmes. It is hoped that over the next 30 years, the new energy efficient centre called “Coventry” will be home to more than 7,500 long-term and short-term international volunteers that work for the Corrymeela Community.The building has been funded by the International Fund for Ireland which has contributed £1m to the scheme (delivered through the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council); the Community Relations Council, which administers measure 2.1 (Reconciliation for Sustainable Peace) of the EU Peace II programme, which awarded over £250,000 and the Ulster Garden Villages Ltd charitable trust which granted £100,000. The remainder of the funding was raised by Corrymeela. Leader of the Corrymeela Community Dr David Stevens said: “Since Corrymeela was founded in 1965, volunteering and residential programmes have been a critical aspect of our vision and work. Now, Corrymeela is looking towards the future of our society and in a community that is increasingly segregated, the work of reconciliation and peace-building is more important than ever. We are grateful to the support received from the International Fund for Ireland and other funders, which has provided this essential accommodation for our diverse volunteer team who work tirelessly to support our work.”Denis Rooney, CBE, Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, said: “The International Fund for Ireland continues to lead the way in identifying new interventions in housing, education and community infrastructure. In fact, since the inception of the Fund in 1986, we have contributed over £628 million to a wide variety of projects in Northern Ireland and the Southern border counties. “The Fund for Ireland has been a long term supporter of the Corrymeela Community and as such is delighted to have contributed £1m to its new residential centre and in turn support the vital contribution made by the volunteers every year. The project forms an important part of the Fund’s Leaving a Legacy strand of work which aims to make a long term contribution to peace building and integration on the Island of Ireland.” Corrymeela works across Northern Ireland, and across all sectors of society from its two centres in Ballycastle and Belfast. It provides a ‘safe space’ where individuals, groups and communities can develop trust and respect and share experiences, offering a chance to build a shared commitment to transform the legacies of the conflict and to take the opportunities arising from peace.  The opening of this fresh, contemporary residential centre marks the end of phase one of Corrymeela’s building project. The final phase includes the building of a new £2.2m village complex which will provide modern group accommodation for the many groups that stay at Corrymeela each year.

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