Safeguarding our unique Sperrin heritage

THE Sperrins Gateway Landscape Partnership Scheme will be holding a series of meetings, open to all members of the community, across the five parishes of Ballinascreen, Desertlyn, Desertmartin, Lissan and Kilcronaghan.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Feb 2010, 09:15 BST
Updated 26th Feb 2010, 11:43 BST

The partnership would like to hear the community’s thoughts, views and ideas regarding the landscape, wildlife and environment, heritage, crafts, hobbies, memories and sites of interest.

They would like you to highlight the issues and actions that can be put in place for this area and they need to hear from those who know the landscape so well. The first meetings will take place today (Thursday) at The Manor House, Moneymore, at 7pm, starting 7.30pm.

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Monday (March 8) at the Sixtowns Community Centre, Sixtowns at 7pm, starting 7.30pm.

Tuesday (March 9) at the Church of the Nazarene Church Hall, Desertmartin at 7pm, starting 7.30pm.

The partnership will be organising more meetings across the other parishes and these will be advertised in the papers and on Cookstown and Magherafelt District Councils’ websites in the weeks to come.

The Landscape Partnership Scheme is a Heritage Lottery Fund programme which aims to conserve countryside that has a distinctive landscape character and is recognised and valued by local people.

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The Sperrins Gateway Landscape Partnership Scheme, currently in the development phase, to engage with the local community, landowners, schools and other relevant organisations in order to produce a Landscape Conservation Action Plan to be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for Stage Two Implementation funding.

The Sperrins Gateway area is situated in the east Sperrins region, it includes the Upper Moyola Valley and Slieve Gallion landscapes and includes the Plantation towns of Moneymore and Draperstown with over half of the area within the Sperrins Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

They are aiming to make this beautiful area more accessible so that everyone can enjoy it, making sure that the cultural, natural and built heritage are all cared for and ensure that they will be safeguarded for future generations and to educate the community as to why this piece of landscape is so unique.