Award for shared space community project?

The project is nominated in the Community Innovation Category Theme.

Judging for the awards took place earlier this month, and the Gala Award Ceremony will be held in November in Ennis, County Clare.

Julie Welsh, Community Development Manager at Coleraine Borough Council said, “‘A Shared Space Project - Field of Dreams’, was a unique initiative and an ambitious project, spanning eighteen months with a number of agencies working together. Causeway Rural and Urban Community Network (CRUN) acted as the lead community organisation with a range of partners over that time including the PSNI Neighbourhood Policing Team, Coleraine Football Club and Coleraine Academy, Irish Football Association, Probation Board Northern Ireland, Coleraine Borough Council’s Good Relations/Community Development Team, Coleraine Policing & Community Safety Partnership and Causeway Museum Service.

“Young people worked together with local communities and a local artist to design a series of historical and contemporary panels to revamp an identified hotspot for antisocial behaviour, particularly the residential area surrounding the Coleraine Football Club and Ballycastle Road in Coleraine. The project also included the creation of an historical archive, implementation of a mediation and dialogue programme with residents and the delivery of a youth diversion programme providing accredited training opportunities for young people participating. From this a number of successful outcomes were achieved, including the reimaging of the site on Ballycastle Road.”