Yesterday, eight DTNI members and community organisations who successfully secured funding from the Community Ownership Fund (COF) gathered at the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry for a round table event with Alex Norris, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Democracy and Local Growth, and officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Northern Ireland.
The discussion centred on their experiences with the Community Ownership funding application process and the significant impact it has had on their organisations and the wider community. Participants highlighted the importance of sustaining the partnerships formed through this initiative and the importance for seed money at the pre-project phase to support technical advice to ensure the viability of the project. They also praised reduced bureaucracy that eased the burden on busy community organisations and emphasised the necessity of trust and patience between the government and community sectors during and after the application process. Additionally, they discussed the challenges of meeting the tight 12-month spend period for capital projects and highlighted the invaluable support from DTNI and its Associates, which was instrumental in helping them draw up business plans and submit strong applications. A strong message to the Minister that was heard loud and clear was “if the process is not broken, then don’t change it”.
Northern Ireland has had 31 projects funded by the Westminster fund, with a total investment of just over £8.1 million. Notable projects include the Oh Yeah Music Centre, which received £850,000 for its acquisition, Newcastle Football Club who now has a new home thanks to £274,000 of funding which secure their new ground, Women’s Aid Armagh and Down, who was awarded £350,000 for the ELEOS project and Seacourt Print Workshop in Bangor who is now the proud owner of the old Ulster Bank building an icon in the town. The eight groups present at the event were St Columb’s Hall Derry, Nerve Centre, Fermanagh Trust, STEP Dungannon, Grow the Glens, In Your Space Circus, Oh Yeah Music Centre, and Omagh Community House. The event underscored the positive outcomes of the Community Ownership Fund and the pressing need for a second round of COF funding to continue this vital work.
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