Major investment continues at St Columb's Park

As work finalises on the second phase of the Adventure Play Park at a cost of 256,000 it will augment the 407,000 first phase, which has proved highly popular since it was opened last year.

Now the management team at the site are looking forward to a renovation programme which will provide the facility with a state-of-the-art kitchen, cafe area and dining suite. Finance for the building work is coming from two sources: The International Fund for Ireland is stumping up 650,000, while 110,000 is being put up by the DSD Modernisation Fund.

The plans include, a new cafe-style cafeteria, which will be open to the public as well as centre users, dedicated parking for staff and visitors, new bedroom space and modernised toilet and shower facilities.

There are two elements to St Columb's Park House: namely the 'social economy element' and St Columb's Park Reconciliation Trust - the 'programme end' offering up-to-the-minute thinking in conflict resolution and community building.

Any profit from the House is used to as a contribution towards the peacebuilding and citizenship programmes of the Trust. Indeed, income from the House meets roughly 35 per cent of the total running costs of the entire facility.

Although staff are delighted about the forthcoming up-grade of the domestic arrangements, St Columb's Park House is very much a functioning facility, and the house, together with the impressive grounds, part of which were designed by TV gardener Charlie Dimmock, fuse to create a jewel in the City's crown when it comes to day-only, short-stay and long-stay facilities.

In a quiet fanfare to announce the forthcoming renovations, the management and staff at St Columb's Park have thrown open the doors to The Sentinel to show what the Park and House currently have to offer groups and individuals now and in the future.

St Columb's Park Reconciliation and Activity Centre was set up in the early 1990s by a Board of Trustees, spearheaded by businessman Glen Barr, and is overseen by Board members who come from business and community walks of life.

According to Sylvia Hunter, centre supervisor, the residential facilities are open for any organisation wishing to make a group booking.

"Originally the main hall was used as a dining room, so, as we have residents we use the back of the hall as a dining room, but theatre style we can accommodate up to 320 people for conference in this room," she said, adding the room could be set up boardroom style or theatre.

There are four seminar rooms downstairs offering meeting space from the intimate to very spacious, each with views of the lush grounds.

"Anybody at all can book a space at St Columb's Park House. It does not matter where they are from: private, statutory, community, voluntary, anyone at all who wants to is welcome to book a room here. St Columb's Park House was first set up as an open space for everyone to use. It is a completely neutral venue."

Acknowledging the building of the new footbridge, and its impact for St Columb's Park House, Ms Hunter said: "It is going to be brilliant for visitors, particularly those from abroad, in terms of their access to the town."

It is a formula that seems to be working: "We take group bookings from anyone, from St John's Ambulance Brigade, education groups, sporting groups and recently we had a rugby group from Italy staying with us, we have American groups, youth groups from all over, too. We have a lot of cross-community groups that use the centre as a facility to bring young people together."

Elsewhere downstairs there is also a bedroom suite suitable for use by anyone unable to use stairs with en suite facilities, while upstairs there is a range of very comfortable bedrooms, some with bunk beds, some with single beds, but these will be enhanced after the renovation works with new furniture. The extension is also going to create extra bedroom space upstairs.

"We will be putting on a new canteen with access to the kitchen, and this will be great because it means we will no longer need the seminar rooms for dining purposes. It will be like a cafe and, hopefully, will also be open to the public."

Once the extension is complete all project staff will have office space inside and it will end the reliance on the portable units outside. The facade of the House itself will remain unaffected by the renovation works.