Page 13 - NMEA Annual Report 2019-2020

Section 4
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
2019-20 WIN - Work In Newry
Conor Patterson at WIN with representatives of Barcroft Community Association and the PSNI
Professor Francis Campbell shares his perspective on the likelihood of constitutional change in Britain and Ireland in the 2020s with the Glue Group, January 2020
Honest, difficult but important conversations....
Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency, the Confederation of Community Groups, Southern Regional College. The Southern Health & Social Services Trust, The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Drumalane & Quayside Close Community Association, Ballybot Community Association, Barcroft Community Association. Martin’s Lane Community Association, Carnagat Community Association, Derrybeg Community Association, Meadow and Armagh Road Association, the Greater Linenhall Community Association, the Three Ways Community Association (High Street). The Partnership has invested some £13m in the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Area since it was established in 2005. During that time it has funded three significant modernisation projects at WIN Business Park, including the fitting out of the
WIN Conference Centre and the development of the ThinkLab Innovation Centre at WIN which was completed in March 2020.
4.4 Community Planning
During 2019/2020, Newry & Mourne Co-operative and Enterprise Agency was actively involved in various Community Planning groups which work with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to promote the well-being of the District and to make more efficient use of scarce resources.
The Enterprise Agency is represented by Stephen McClelland on the Economic Development, Regeneration and Tourism thematic group, the Community and Voluntary Sector Stakeholder Group and by Colin Hanna on the Newry DEA. Their deliberations focused on big issues which matter to citizens like health, education, employment, citizen safety and the environmental concerns especially congestion and over-development.
4.5 The Newry Mourne Down Faith-Based and Church Programme (GLUE)
During the year NMEA in partnership with the former CEO of
the NI Medication Network and former Victims Commissioner, Brendan McAllister, the former CEO of the Community Relations Council and current Professor of History at Ulster University, Dr Duncan Morrow and former Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Danny Kennedy, convened 8 meetings of two cross community GLUE groups (Growing Leadership which can Unite Everyone). One of the groups drew its membership from Newry, the other from South Armagh. The purpose of this initiative was to improve relations between law enforcement agencies north and south of the border and various faith and political communities and to build as much cross community consensus as we can
and to improve inter-community relations. Almost 40 people participated. It was funded through the ‘Faith-Based and Church Programme’ managed by the Newry Mourne and Down District Council Peace IV EU programmes team.
The Newry group and the South Armagh group both heard from 3 specialist guest speakers:
• Professor Siobhan O’Neill (University of Ulster) who spoke
about intergenerational trauma within a NI context.
• Dr Johnny Byrne (University of Ulster) who talked about young
people and pathways to political violence.
• Professor Francis Campbell who spoke about the challenges
Northern Ireland faces and the routes to promote social, economic and political stability.
4.6 Other support to the Community/Voluntary sector
Newry & Mourne Co-operative and Enterprise Agency was active in community development during 2019/2020:
• The Co-operative sponsored a prize at the St Joseph’s High School’s annual achievement recognition event.
• The Co-operative sponsored an annual prize for business planning on the Business Studies course at Southern Regional College.
Throughout 2019/2020 the Co-operative worked closely with its host community in Mourneview, Murphy Crescent and Canal Street in Newry.
4.7 Financial support to good causes
During the year the Co-operative made contributions to the following:
Head Injury Support Ballyholland GAC
Newry Musical Society
St Joseph’s High School Barcroft Community Association
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