Sustaining the Infrastructure

SIF provided funding of over £1.7million for refurbishments and improvements to 11 community facilities to maintain and increase a wide range of community services.

Project Name:

Sustaining the Infrastructure

Zone:

Southern

Category:

Capital

Social Investment Fund Outcomes:

Increasing Community Services

Status:

Operational – Construction Complete

Funding awarded:

£1,750,648.00

Mount Zion - After
Mount Zion - After

Corcrain Orange Hall - After
Corcrain Orange Hall - After

Happy Days - Before & After
Happy Days - Before & After

Dromore Orange Lodge - Before
Dromore Orange Lodge - Before

About the Project:

The Sustaining the Infrastructure project (STI) involved minor capital works on a number community facilities.

STI placed value on grassroots community activity and recognised the difficulty in obtaining funding for minor capital works. Activities within this project involved works leading to new service development as well as maintaining and extending existing community focused service delivery.

STI included the following 11 elements;

Gilford Community Club Refurbishment: refurbishment of the community facility to make it fit for purpose. The more welcoming and fit-for-purpose premises encourages more groups to use the hall and allows existing groups to develop their current provision. 

Brownstown Campus: This project extended the existing community facility in order to optimise its reach and maximise the benefits for the local population. Brownstown Owners And Tenants Association, (BOATA), Millington Primary School and Millington Nursery are coming together to form a Community/Education Campus.

Richmount Childcare Project: Installation of insulation and a new heating system in the Richmount Childcare Centre brought the new premises up to current standards. Some refurbishment and adaptation was required to make the building suitable for crèche facilities.  The works have contributed to the provision of new community run childcare and community services.

Mount Zion Energy Project: Shankill (Lurgan) Community Projects Ltd (SLCP) required an ecological minor capital works programme to improve the infrastructure of its community buildings and help reduce running costs.  These works will help the organisation to sustain existing activity and reduced running costs would mean more funds available for increased service delivery.

Silverbridge Track and Car Park: Silverbridge Community Resource Centre required funding to resurface the carpark to enable ease of access, enhance the aesthetic qualities of the community resource complex and create prioritised car parking.  Internal refurbishment was also required. The club now meet disability access requirements and the two activity/sports suites will increase the capacity of this well-utilised resource including a walking route safe from rural traffic.

Corcrain Orange Hall: External works on the hall and surrounding area have improved the overall appearance of the building creating a more welcoming environment for all users of the facility and for residents in the area. The hall is located on the Corcrain/Garvaghy interface in Portadown & the exterior was previously surrounded by barbed wire & security cameras. The works have helped the building become more appealing to potential users & have encouraged a more normalised environment.

Corcrain Shops: Two units of derelict NIHE owned shops have been refurbished to create a community space in which a range of community services can be based and delivered.  This element has brought vacant buildings into community use and will help extend current service delivery in the locality.

Happy Days Coalisland Project: A number of works took place in the building in order to increase its life span and to allow the group to maintain a safe and healthy environment for the children, parents and for the community who access the playgroup setting. The works will ensure the continued existence of Happy Days Playgroup as a community run pre-school provider in this area.

Holy Trinity Church Hall: The toilet facilities and disability access arrangements were not up to current standards and were in urgent need of refurbishment. The works enabled the club to meet disability access requirements and will help increase usage of the community space.

Pearse Ogs: This project involved the installation and associated works of a passenger lift at the Pearse OG GAC and Community Functions Suite on the Ballycrummy Road, Armagh.  The works enabled the club to meet disability access requirements and will help increase community usage.

Dromore Orange Hall: Refurbishment of the Dromore Orange Hall included re-wiring, disabled access, new kitchen, new toilets, energy efficiency improvements and the provision of a training room. Works also included the repair, improvement and extension of the car parking facilities. The upgrades will help the Management Committee expand community service delivery.

Progress to date:

The project has completed construction and is operational.  The 11 completed works will allow various community groups and organisations throughout the SIF Southern Zone to improve, sustain and extend local services in their respective areas and will contribute to increased community cohesion, infrastructure support and social renewal as well as improving dereliction and buildings in deprived communities.

A number of short films on Social Investment Fund projects and outcomes have been produced.  Below is the link to a short film, that highlights the construction/improvement works to facilities funded in the SIF Southern zone, including the Sustaining the Infrastructure project:

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 final capital infographics below highlights some of the key impacts of the project to date – the final capital infographics relating to Richmount Childcare and Corcrain Shops are ongoing. The STI project is in the early stages of post capital OBA returns and OBA data collection is ongoing for the final post capital infographics.

Final Capital infographic -Guilford Community Centre
Final Capital infographic -Guilford Community Centre

Final Capital infographic - Brownstown Campus
Final Capital infographic - Brownstown Campus

Final Capital infographic - Mount Zion
Final Capital infographic - Mount Zion

Final Capital infographic - Silverbridge
Final Capital infographic - Silverbridge

Final Capital infographic - Corcrain Orange Lodge
Final Capital infographic - Corcrain Orange Lodge

Final Capital infographic - Happy Days Coalisland
Final Capital infographic - Happy Days Coalisland

Final Capital infographic - Holy Trinity Church
Final Capital infographic - Holy Trinity Church

Final Capital infographic - Pearse OG
Final Capital infographic - Pearse OG

Final Capital infographic - Dromore Orange Lodge
Final Capital infographic - Dromore Orange Lodge

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