Armagh groups in community development programme
Over 60 community groups in the County Armagh area attended last night’s (10 February 2010) official launch of the Collaborative Future Social Regeneration Project.
Cllr Meta Crozier, Mayor of Craigavon; Cllr Gareth Wilson, Deputy Mayor of Armagh; Cllr Glen Oliver, Newry and Mourne District Council; and Danny Kennedy MLA, Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party were among a number of local MLAs and Councillors that also attended.
The event at Brownlow House in Lurgan marked the beginning of a new phase of work by the County Armagh Grand Orange Lodge Community Development Committee, which has been working since 2005 to support emerging community groups in County Armagh who use Orange Halls as community venues. The International Fund for Ireland provided financial assistance of £409K to the Project.
Since 2005, the number of participating community groups has increased from six to 60, with the help of the advice, training and networking support provided by the Committee. The work to date has helped these embryonic community groups to become properly constituted, to offer services to their local community, and to access funding to support a range of activities including senior citizens clubs, music and drama youth groups, educational classes and health.
This next phase of the Project will aim to build on the progress so far and provide additional on-the-ground support by providing a community worker for 15-20 emerging groups in the urban areas of Portadown and Lurgan, where persistent sectarian tension has often been a barrier to community development.
The Committee and its member groups have also forged links with groups in County Monaghan and with a range of statutory agencies in Northern Ireland. This has helped instil confidence and capacity in communities along the border and elsewhere in the County.
Speaking at the launch, Anne Henderson, Board Member of the International Fund for Ireland, said: “The International Fund for Ireland has a long-standing relationship with County Armagh Community Development (CACD), having supported their community relations and community development work since 2005.
“To date, CACD has made considerable strides in supporting emerging community groups in the County Armagh area to establish themselves and promote the activities they offer to the wider community. We believe that confident, capable communities are much more able to engage with the rest of society and that leads to greater stability.
“The International Fund for Ireland is keen to support initiatives and interventions, such as this, which will have a lasting impact on individuals and communities long after the Fund ceases to exist. We look forward to seeing this work built upon through the next phase of activity.”
David McMullen, the Committee’s Development Officer, said: “This project will enable established groups to further develop and to share information, also enabling community volunteers in the urban areas of Portadown and Lurgan to identify and meet the needs in their communities. We will continue to build on the cross-border cross-community linkages with County Monaghan Community Network, which have proven very successful to date.”
Contributions from other funders including: the Department for Social Development; Awards for All; Armagh City Council; the Community Relation Council; and County Armagh Grand Orange Lodge Community Development Committee brought the total funding package to £460k.
