Excitement as newly revamped Atlas Women's Centre opens doors

A Lisburn-based women's centre has expanded into new premises and completed a major renovation of its facilities, with support from Ulster Bank.
Pictured (L-R) are Gay Sherry-Bingham, Centre Manager at Atlas Womens Centre; Paul Reid, Business Development Manager at Ulster Bank; Councillor Uel Mackin, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council; Angela McKinley; Barbara Hamill and Mandy Gilmore.Pictured (L-R) are Gay Sherry-Bingham, Centre Manager at Atlas Womens Centre; Paul Reid, Business Development Manager at Ulster Bank; Councillor Uel Mackin, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council; Angela McKinley; Barbara Hamill and Mandy Gilmore.
Pictured (L-R) are Gay Sherry-Bingham, Centre Manager at Atlas Womens Centre; Paul Reid, Business Development Manager at Ulster Bank; Councillor Uel Mackin, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council; Angela McKinley; Barbara Hamill and Mandy Gilmore.

Atlas Women’s Centre, which has been operating in Lisburn since 1989, exists to improve the quality of life for the vulnerable and most disadvantaged adults and families living in Lisburn city and the surrounding areas.

Supported by Ulster Bank, the charity has invested £75,000 in the purchase of a new business unit adjoining the centre’s current premises in Lisburn city centre. With additional grant funding of £349,070 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Space and Place Programme, the charity has also completed a full interior and exterior renovation of the new 4,000 sq ft centre.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A hub for all sections of the local community, the centre facilitates a host of regular activities and courses to enhance employability, ranging from personal development and confidence-building to more vocational training in food safety, child protection, paediatric first aid and more.

Atlas Women’s Centre Manager Gay Sherry-Bingham explained: “It is an exciting time at Atlas Women’s Centre as we celebrate the grand reopening of our new premises in Lisburn city centre, made possible through the support we’ve received from Ulster Bank and the Big Lottery Fund.

“Now is the right time to invest in the future of the centre. We are seeing increased subscription to the courses, activities and programmes we schedule and there is huge demand for the provision of community-based services such as ours. There’s not only appetite, but there’s a need.

“By investing in the purchase and renovation of the neighbouring property we will be in a position to scale active services and now have capacity to introduce new ones to meet changing needs.”

Related topics: