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Major Milestone Celebrated
21st April 2011
A major milestone was reached in March, when the Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Group’s (SLIG) sister organisation, the Stewartstown Road Regeneration Project (SRRP) celebrated its 10th anniversary.
The event was celebrated on 24 March at the SRRP building on the Stewartstown Road. Social economy business, SRRP, which is often described as “the property wing” of SLIG and the two fora, was said to provide “a template for resolving interface issues.”
SLIG and the SRRP emerged out of contact between the Suffolk and Lenadoon community fora in the late 1990s. The derelict Stewartstown Road site was identified as a prime location for community regeneration. Funding and other support was obtained from the Department for Social Development, the International Fund for Ireland, European PEACE monies and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
The building is jointly owned by the two community organisations and accommodates a range of community services such as childcare and counselling. Commercial space is also provided, and is a valuable source of income.
The Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Group (SLIG), set up a number of years earlier by the two fora, exists under the same roof as the SRRP.
John Hoey, SRRP’s manager said: “The celebration event aimed to acknowledge the progress that has been achieved and will act as a spur for further focused action.”
SLIG Strategic Development Manager, Harry Maher pointed out that “The SRRP and SLIG are the outcome of the Suffolk and Lenadoon communities’ joint vision, which continues to look to the future with further sports, training and other initiatives planned.”
Social Development Minister Alex Attwood delivered a keynote speech. He said: “the SRRP has provided real and significant benefits to people within the Lenadoon Neighbourhood Renewal Area. They are a social economy business that supports social, economic, physical, and community regeneration . This inter-community project is a prime example of the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy making its mark.”