Community Buildings Programme

In January 2008 the Church was awarded £500,000, the maximum grant allowed, under the Big Lottery’s Community Building Programme. This provided a tremendous boost to our overall resources and meant we could go ahead with our building plans.

McCarrick Construction Company Ltd has been awarded the Building Contract and building and redevelopment work has started.

 Reaching Communities Programme

In May 2008 we were awarded a grant of £130,000 from the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Programme towards the cost of employing a Community Development Officer on a full time basis for a period of five years. The appointment has now been made and our new Community Development Officer and she has taken up her post. This appointment will make a significant contribution to the achievements of our aims and objectives.

 Aims and Objectives

 The Outcomes, agreed with the Big Lottery Fund, which we will aim to achieve over the next few years can be briefly summarised as follows: -

·        Additional activities for, children, young people and the elderly from which an extra 100 people per year will benefit.

·        A listening/support service, together with other support services will be established from which 30 people per year will be helped.

·        A variety of training courses will be organised.  From which 70 adults per year will develop useful new skills leading to education and employment.

·        Three services per year will be developed leading annually to reduced antisocial behaviour of some 35 young people.

·        Three new volunteering opportunities each year will be provided to improve the quality of life for adults with learning disabilities.

·        As a result of the opportunities provided from setting up new services 25 young people per year will be enabled to act as volunteers.

·        The management committee/community forum will incorporate 5 representatives of community user groups for each of the next three years.

·         Reduction in gas (25%) and electricity (15%) consumption will lead to reductions in costs and green house gas emissions within twelve months of completion of the building.

·         Three services per year will be developed leading to reduced social isolation for 35 older people.