Hanwood Centre
SIF provided funding of over £94,000 for the refurbishment and fit out to modify the existing IT suite into a multipurpose room for health/fitness promotion, training and lifestyle improvement. This will support the delivery of increased health services in the local community.
Project Name: | Hanwood Centre |
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Zone: | Belfast East |
Category: | Capital |
Social Investment Fund Outcome: | Increasing Community Services |
Status: | Operational – Construction Complete |
Funding awarded: | £94,251 |
About the Project
SIF investment was provided to this project to create a purpose built facility at the Hanwood Centre to deliver a suite of training and lifestyle improvement programmes and health/fitness promotion with suitable fitness equipment provided. These programmes targeted groups that would not normally utilise existing health and fitness facilities at the centre due to physical/mental health problems, body weight issues, elderly, youth at risk groups and those with disabilities. Capital works included refurbishment and alteration works to unused and outdated space in the IT suite converting it into a multipurpose room which allowed the delivery of a wide range of new health and fitness services and also safeguarded and allowed extension of the services already provided by the centre in an area of high deprivation. The project also provided a range of state of the art fitness equipment that was central to the delivery of these programmes and facilitated all facets of the local communities in the targeted area. The centre has opened up opportunities for the local communities to come together and interact with other people widening their social circle as well as improving their mental health and wellbeing.
Progress to date
This project has completed and this new centre has been operational from October 2017. Overall, this was a successful SIF project delivering positive benefits to the local community and providing a safe, modern place where both the youth and older people in the local communities can meet whilst improving their health and wellbeing. The project has also had a positive impact on economic development, education, partnership working, targeting social exclusion and promotes community relations. In terms of jobs and partnership working, increased numbers have created job prospects and training opportunities for local residents with two new jobs created at the Hanwood Centre as a result of this project. It offers a strong fit with the strategic objectives of SIF, particularly in respect of building pathways to employment, tackling issues such as mental and physical health, increasing community services and addressing dereliction.
Impacts
Monitoring and evaluation of all Social Investment Fund projects is carried out using “Outcomes Based Accountability” (OBA). Where SIF has funded capital works, the project provides quarterly “post-capital” data for a period of 3 years which details the positive impacts enabled by the capital works undertaken. The Hanwood Centre project has completed its 3 years of post-capital monitoring. Below are the final capital and post capital infographics which highlight the key impacts of the Hanwood project.
