PHASE 2: Derry City, Omagh & Castlereagh
Posted on Thu 19 June 2008
Project: Galliagh Development Trust
When planning a complex development or project, it is important to communicate regularly with, and maintain the involvement of, the community and potential funders.
Summary
Priorities:
1. Projects which seek to promote the inclusion of families experiencing social exclusion, including single parent families
2. Programmes aimed at promoting the empowerment of marginalised young people and facilitating their active participation in society and
3. Initiatives that address the particular inclusion needs of older people and that seek to promote active inter-generational involvement
About
A grant of £59,000 was awarded to Galliagh Development Trust to implement the development of a Community Development Regeneration plan for this sprawling neighbourhood of housing estates - covering three priority areas. The learning on this one relates to the complexity of carrying out this type of development planning exercise in a way that keeps the community and potential funders within the frame. The lead organisation was alert to the need to engage with statutory bodies and potential funders from an early stage. A huge investment of time and energy has gone into producing a sophisticated community plan to develop a 'Town Centre' facility for Galliagh.
However successful the planning exercise is, the challenge of accessing appropriate funding is all about being ready in the right place, at the right time. Furthermore the changing funding environment has meant that whereas some statutory organisations were in a position to engage effectively in the project delivery through to the next stage, other funders were not in a position to do so. This continues to be a challenge to the organisation and is testing the staying power of the Development Trust.