Benburb & District Community Association in Benburb has received an early Christmas present after an award of £308,000 was made to help develop Benburb Playing Fields, turning it into a space which can be used by the whole community.
The money has been awarded by the Space & Place programme, a £15million Big Lottery funded capital grants programme which seeks to connect more people and communities together by making use of underused or difficult space. The programme is delivered by a consortium headed up by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.
The consortium also includes Groundwork NI, the Rural Community Network, the Public Health Agency, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Northern Ireland Environmental Link.
The grant means that Benburb & District Community Association (B&DCA) working in partnership with Mid Ulster District Council, will be able to develop a walking trail, fitness pods, social hubs, a Grow Wild area and fencing around an existing sports pitch. When the work is completed, the local community will be able to take part in activities aimed at improving health and wellbeing in an accessible, well-lit safe space.
Speaking about the award, Damian Mullan (Chairman B&DCA) said: “This is a dream come true for local people in this area. It is the result of three years’ work and will transform the village at the weekends in particular, where families will be able to spend their leisure time close to home with neighbours and friends.
“We are indebted to the many local community and voluntary sector groups in the area who contributed to the concept and design for this space. To realise this vision will bring much enjoyment to the young and elderly in particular, by providing access to quality green space,” said Damian.
Michael Hughes Space & Place Co-Ordinator, said: “The Space & Place Consortium is delighted to be announcing another round of Space & Place grants following a highly competitive application process.
“We have seen first-hand the positive impact these grants have had in communities throughout Northern Ireland following previous Space & Place awards.
“We now look forward to enabling more people to transform underused or neglected spaces in their communities through this round of grants which will in turn also tackle a diverse range of issues including social isolation and lack of facilities in many areas.”
Frank Hewitt, the Big Lottery Fund’s NI Chair said: “We understand how important good quality space is and we hope that the projects getting funding today will make a real difference to the people and communities they live in.”
