Loughgiel Community Association
Loughgiel is a rural area, situated at the foothills
of the Antrim hills in the North East of the Province of Northern
Ireland and is ten miles from the town of Ballymoney. A large part
of the area is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The area lies within the local Borough of Ballymoney.
The total population of the area is approximately 3,000 people.
Loughgiel Community Association was formed in 1988,
initially to sponsor an Action for Community Employment scheme. The
constitution of the organisation was designed to allow the Association
to undertake other projects that would assist in the social and economic
development of Loughgiel and its environs.
The Association is a voluntary group made up of
representatives of the local community and representing a range of
interests and experience. Members are very committed to the overall
aim of the Association - to address the socio-economic problems of
their area and have been successful in tackling a range of local issues
that have helped raise the quality of life for those living within
the area. The Association has also forged strong partnerships with
the Rural Development Council and Ballymoney Borough Council.
COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INITIATIVES
- An Action for Community Employment (ACE) Scheme
that provided periods of employment for over 200 unemployed people
since the scheme commenced in 1989 - of these, 57% have gone on
to achieve full-time employment. This scheme completed in December
1999.
- An Information Centre, with modern office facilities
is available for the community.
- A Voluntary Pre-school Playgroup, currently
offering places to 25 children.
- Luncheon Club for the elderly providing a range
of social activities in addition to weekly lunches for approximately
50 people.
- Environmental project and services for the community
through a community business - Greenways Gardening and Maintenance
Services Ltd. Also cleaning services, a chimney sweeping service
and power washing facilities.
- A Community Transport Scheme for the area with
a seventeen seater minibus with wheelchair access funded through
the Rural Transport Fund and Community Based Actions (RCN).
- Loughgiel Community Training Services which
opened in the Spring of 1996, offers mainly computer training to
a wide range of individuals and groups including farmers, housewives
and the unemployed. The centre holds OCR (formerly known as RSA)
accreditation and continues to offer training and certification
to up to one hundred people every week. The Training Rooms have
been funded through the European Union Special Support Programme
for Peace and Reconciliation, and plans are to continue to offer
demand-led community based training to people from the area and
beyond. An outstanding feature of this provision is the high level
of cross-community involvement and participation.
In 1995, the Association established a Services
Liaison Committee with representatives from a number of statutory
bodies and other organisations including the NI Housing Executive,
Ballymoney Borough Council, N.I.Tenants Action Project, North Antrim
Community Network, Youth Services (North Eastern Education and Library
Board), Rural Development Division (Dept. Agriculture for N.I.),
Causeway Trust - Health and Social Services, Community Affairs Branch
(RUC) and Local Residents' Representatives. The group meets regularly
to highlight and address local issues within the area.
LOUGHGIEL MILLENNIUM CENTRE
The Association is keen to develop and grow -
a number of projects are underway and new challenges and possibilities
are always being sought. A very exciting development has been the
opening of our Community Centre and Business Resource Park. This
incorporates a spacious hall capable of seating over 300 people
- the hall is suitable for concerts and shows as well as indoor
sports and games. Attached to the hall are a number of rooms that
will provide meeting rooms and youth club facilities.
Plans are to provide employment opportunities
right in the heart of our area through a teleworking centre, childcare
facilities and commercial business units. These aspects of the project
will contribute towards making the new Centre self-sufficient and
are a significant feature of the new development. The Community
Association has been awarded a grant for renewable energy and efficiency
– this will go towards the cost of installing photo-voltaic
panels, solar panels and a 50kilowatt wind turbine. The solar panels
will heat water whilst the other measures will generate electricity
for the complex.
Encouraging self-sufficiency and tackling social
exclusion in a rural area are the mainstay of the Associations mission.
Loughgiel Millennium Centre is a major step in this direction and
after much hard work and long hours of voluntary commitment, the
future is looking very bright for Loughgiel.
PICTURES OF NEW CENTRE
Loughgiel Community Association would like to
thank all those who provided funding for the Loughgiel Millennium
Centre – Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Millennium
Commission, International Fund for Ireland, North Antrim Rural Action,
Ballymoney Borough Council, National Lottery Charities Board, Lloyds
TSB Foundation and most of all the local community.
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