'All Saints' are marching on

All Saints Caring Association, linked to All Saints Church of Ireland church based at Clooney have received 586,125 to allow them to develop a programme of community and cross-community activities as well as redeveloping its community facility at the Stewart Memorial Hall on Glendermott Road.

All Saints, like all churches, continually struggle to maintain the physical well being of their buildings - a job which in itself is hardly enviable. However, with a long held reputation for community outreach and support programmes, it is greatly to the credit of the Clooney based church that they have also continued to simultaneously carry on with these programmes albeit on a 'shoe string' in the past few years.

Programme

Reverend Malcolm Ferry arrived at the Church just two years ago and immediately began to underpin a programme of reaching out to the community around the church itself. In essence, it came from a belief that whilst vitally important, worship should not be restricted to church services, but by connecting in a meaningful way to those in the surrounding area. It was for this reason that he established the All Saints Caring Association at Melrose Terrace.

"All Saints Caring Association was born out of social conscience, as a vehicle for bringing this idea into reality. This is a shop front for the Church. It was born because there is a lot of need out there," he said.

Rev Ferry said that people in the area have already responded to the Association as a "neutral space for everyone".

Speaking to the Sentinel he said: "We identified the needs of young people and for that reason appointed a full-time Youth and Family Worker paid for by the church, representing a substantial amount of investment from the Church to the community.

"We established summer programmes for young people on a cross border basis with youngsters from very different backgrounds. We also took a geographical approach to the town incorporating a huge cross-section of people, not only a religious basis but also on a socio-economic basis."

Rev Ferry maintains there is a need for services in all areas.

"You don't have to live in a particular area as need crosses all boundaries, so people from everywhere can come and ask for advice.

"There is a track record of All Saints delivering advice on social need and an informed approach to cross community programmes in a complete sense. Therefore we recognised that what we needed was a dedicated building. We were already delivering and IFI recognised this," he said.

It is intended that as well as providing advice on rights and benefits, cross border, cross community, family issues and of course spiritual issues, the Association will just as easily cater for someone who needs respite while waiting for a bus and who wants to call in for a cup of tea.

"Whilst the Association will not be run on a business footing, there is obviously an economic tail to it, but we have proven we can provide services at a very cost effective level," said Rev Ferry.

Diocese

Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Bishop Ken Good told the Sentinel: "I warmly welcome the initiative taken by the parish of All Saints Clooney to engage practically with the community. I'm delighted that the International Fund for Ireland have agreed to the funding of a substantial new resource to make this work even more effective. I commend the Rector and Select Vestry for the courageous initiative they have taken and feel sure this project will benefit a large number of people in the community."

Spokesman for the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe, Rev Earl Storey told the Sentinel that the programmes at All Saints Caring Association encapsulates in the most practical way the Diocesan initiative of 'Transforming Community Radiating Christ'.

Earl Storey said: "This is a diocesan strategy that every parish has bought into three headings. And, one of these is that of addressing social need within our community."

The award will also allow for the physical transformation of the district. Whilst the Clooney, Bonds Hill and surrounding streets were once the hub of Londonderry's professional classes in recent years it is felt the area has become run down to a certain extent.

Rev Ferry said: "We started by putting hanging flower baskets in the area to establish the restoration of pride, the creation of energy. People have witnessed the closure of shops in Clooney Terrace for example. When you come to this city this is an arterial route from the airport, when you come through, what do you want to see? Buzz and energy not deterioration. This is a start and is more than an aspiration. This is 'radiating Christ' at a basic level."

It goes without saying that a tremendous amount of hard work was involved in attracting funding for the project. Rev Ferry readily admits that the parish had long endeavoured on the production of the vision and the practicalities for the restoration of the Stewart Memorial Hall before his appointment. The combination of this vision and practical application, it is believed, made the entire project a very attractive proposition for IFI funding.

So it is already plain that the almost 600,000 award will be used to deliver on addressing community need.

Rev Ferry points to the fact that the Swedish translation of parish hall is literally 'parish home.'

"There is a sense that this is the creation of a home within the community - we don't want people to just use the hall and go, we want them to stop and dwell. We want to provide spaces for all ages. The idea of creating a home is important," he said.

Jim Lindsay, Secretary of the Select Vestry at All Saints told the Sentinel that the IFI award is the culmination of an idea first floated around nine years ago.

Stewart Memorial Hall

"We held so many meetings before we even decided to demolish the Stewart Memorial Hall. However, we are not demolishing the history of the hall. It began as the Stewart National School in 1862 and the stone work denoting that fact will be retained within the new building. It does seem a long time in the making, but what we are doing will be worthwhile," he said.

It was also revealed that the new hall will also be accessible via the entrance at Bonds Place with the agreement of local residents and the Ebrington Centre. A new, and decorative entrance, also allowing for disabled access will be provided for via the money awarded by the IFI. It was also highlighted that the restoration of the hall received a lot of support from organisations such as the Waterside Area Partnership, and other community groups as well as Derry City Council.

Whilst the money was awarded via the IFI the administration of the grant will be handled by the Department of Regional Development (DRD). Rev Ferry expects to receive a letter of offer from DRD within the week and it is then that the project can be truly set in motion.

"The news has been received by the rank and file membership of the parish with great relief. The Stewart Memorial Hall holds a significant amount of lifetime memories, even just in terms of those couples who met there throughout the years."

Kirsty Lynch, Youth and Family Worker at All Saints Caring Association is the woman directly responsible for implementing programmes on the ground at the Melrose Terrace premises. A tribute to the work already done at the Association to date is that the table where this interview was conducted was actually half of a table tennis table - the other half being attached at weekends to provide a past time for the youth in attendance.

Faith in everyday life

"There are a lot of expectations upon young people today and this lets them escape from pressures. That is why we are open on Saturday nights, to let them get out," she said.

There are also plans to develop a website via the funding to let people know where and how they can access help for a range of problems encountered in modern life. The Association also provides programmes such as FUEL - 'Faith Used in Everyday Life' - as well as the provision of Sunday School and the traditional attachments to uniformed associations such as the Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides.

The award from the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) comes via their Community based Economic & Social Regeneration Programme and has been a source of great joy for all associated with All Saints.

Speaking at the IFI Board meeting that granted the award, Fund Chairman Denis Rooney CBE said: "The Integrating Community Organisations Programme is at the very heart of the Fund's work.

"It has provided a truly unique combination of support, training and funding to bring together a wide range of community groups to deliver genuinely shared projects and experiences for their wider communities.

"While we have made great progress towards peace, we still live in a largely segregated society - sometimes living very separate lives from our closest neighbours. The courage of organisations and communities who are attempting to build relationships with those from the other tradition should not be underestimated.

"Just a few years ago, it would have been almost unthinkable for some of these communities to work together. Their achievements should give us real hope for the next generation.

Lasting peace

"It is only by bringing communities together in such practical ways that we can build lasting peace."

Built in 1867, All Saints Church Clooney cost a then mighty 5,600. In the last two years the parish has raised and spent over 500,000 on the church.

It is anticipated that the project will reach fruition within the next 18 months and to this end Rev Ferry and the rest of the leaders at All Saints are already planning to commemorate the old Stewart Memorial Hall and the people who used it.

They request that anyone in possession of old photographs or memories contact the Church at [email protected].

Rev Malcolm Ferry said he was looking forward to announcing the IFI award from the pulpit.

He said: "It is a great end to a long haul of work."

However, that end in essence is only the beginning and his final comment to us perhaps says it all: "The building of the hall, while important, is not as important as building the people."