Category: Press Release

COLIN GLEN TRUST LAUNCH COMMUNITY GYM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ULSTER RUGBY & BIG LOTTERY YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

Ulster Rugby players Nick Williams and Dan Tuohy have opened Colin Glen Trust’s new community gym in the heart of West Belfast.

The joint project between Colin Glen Trust and Ulster Rugby was funded by the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and the Big Lottery Fund. GYM10 has been developed to encourage people from the local community to engage in physical activity in a relaxed atmosphere while providing the opportunity for young people in West Belfast to participate in and play rugby.

Colin Glen Trust celebrated 25 years of success in 2014 by providing education, adventure, interactive heritage, accommodation, sport and leisure facilities attracting 220k global and local visitors to West Belfast last year. The charitable trust has faced down challenges with young people in the local area by introducing a Youth Empowerment scheme funded by the Big Lottery Fund that fuses sport with health and nutrition education. Ulster Rugby has supported graduates of the scheme in gaining Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualifications, enabling them to offer inductions and programmes for new members.

In In welcoming the development Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said;

“This is a magnificent facility from which the entire community can benefit.  Located in an area of high social deprivation this new facility will deliver important health and wellbeing benefits to the people of the area.

“The adult population, local schools and clubs can all benefit from Gym10 and I am pleased to learn that Ulster Rugby’s Disability & Inclusion Officer has been working closely with the Colin Glen Trust, who are responsible for the day to day running of the new gym, to support an All Ability Sports programme which brings together both able bodied children and those with disabilities.

“Increasing levels of participation and engagement among socially excluded groups has been and will remain a priority for me and my Department and Gym10 will play a pivotal role in the overall development of this site by the Colin Glen trust.  It will also provide employment opportunities and will make an immense contribution to community life.”

Joanne McDowell, Big Lottery Fund NI Director said: “Our Empowering Young People programme is transforming the lives of young people most in need in Northern Ireland. We are delighted to see how the programme is supporting vital projects like the one at Colin Glen Trust to give young people the skills to improve their lives.”

Colin O Neill, Chief Executive of Colin Glen Trust, said: “The development of GYM10, a community-based fitness centre is a welcome addition to the range of facilities here at the Colin Glen Trust. With GYM10 we have created a space that removes all barriers to participation in physical activity. The inclusive fitness standard equipment and machines are suitable for all age groups and abilities.”

Ulster Rugby President, John Kinnear, said: “We are delighted to be able to contribute to this great project. The installation of gym equipment at sites such as the Colin Glen Trust is a great way to help to improve health and wellbeing among all age groups and will enable local people in West Belfast the opportunity to engage with fitness and rugby sessions.

“The youth empowerment programmes at Colin Glen Trust have been doing some amazing work in exposing more and more people in this area to the game of rugby and hopefully we will see even more progress in the future. I’d like to thank the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for their continued support in helping us expand rugby in both traditional and non-traditional areas.”

The Big Lottery CEO Dawn Austwick and NI Director Joanne McDowell dropped into Colin Glen to experience the high life with some of the young people involved in the Reaching out and empowering young people programme delivered at the Forest Park.

Since 2013 Colin Glen Trust has been reaching out to over 300 local young people helping them to reach new heights. Programmes have included Employability Training, Health & Wellbeing, Community Relations & Environmental Education. The programme has enabled young people to gain qualifications in outdoor education, sports, mental health awareness, youth work and drugs & alcohol awareness.

Colm Fanning – Programme Manager at the trust said;

“It’s wonderful that Big Lottery have supported the young people through the grant and it’s great to see that Dawn and Joanne have taken time to come and hear how the investment has impacted on the lives of so many young people from Lenadoon, Suffolk, Colin and further afield.”

Dawn and Joanne had an opportunity to experience some of the exciting opportunities available to young people at Colin Glen Forest Park as they climbed to the top of Skytrek, Colin Glen’s Aerial Assault Course and witness how the project and facilities has helped them grow in confidence and embrace the natural resource available to them in the Area.

Anyone 8-20 years of age interested in learning more about how to get involved at the Youth empowerment project in Colin Glen please call 028 9061 4115, email info@colinglentrust.org or call into the forest park centre anytime.

Colin Glen is 240 acres of scenic woodland, waterfalls and wildflowers. But over the years, destruction and illegal dumping threatened to ruin the glen.

Then in the 1980s, the local community started working to reclaim the park, cleaning up the Colin River and planting thousands of native trees. They formed the Colin Glen Trust and with the help of funding, including from the Big Lottery Fund, it has grown into one of the largest community-led environmental schemes in Europe.

Colm Fanning is the project manager of the Trust’s youth empowerment project, funded by a £491,122 Big Lottery Fund grant. The project gets young people in the area involved in activities in the park and in the work of the Trust.  When Lauren (17) was younger, like most people she avoided the park altogether because it was seen as a hub for antisocial activity.  A few years ago Lauren suffered from debilitating back pain. She went through a series of hospital tests but these couldn’t explain the problem. Lauren felt that no one believed her, and it destroyed her confidence and self esteem. She dropped out of school and lost contact with her friends.

Lauren’s mother contacted the youth workers at Colin Glen Trust for help. They welcomed Lauren in and enrolled her in mentoring and personal development programmes. These helped her to focus on the things she could do rather than those she couldn’t.

“I was overwhelmed and struggling,” she said. “But it’s been a complete turnaround. Their encouragement and support brought my self esteem right back up again. They brought me out of my shell and I feel able to achieve things now. They bring you back to who you really are.”

Lauren now has a part time job and is back in school working on her A-levels. She has become a fixture at Colin Glen Trust, volunteering regularly, helping in planning and implementing projects, and gaining OCN qualifications in youth work and personal development. She is a member of the Roots Youth Forum which is helping to shape the future of the organisation.

Colm Fanning said the key to any youth project is in involvement, especially involvement of those young people who are struggling the most.

“It’s about finding ways of including young people and making them care, about the park and about the community around it,” he said.

“Up until a few years ago, the community was glad that young people involved in anti social behaviour were in the park – out of sight and out of mind rather than on their doorstep. But we started to see we could use Colin Glen to help these young people and give them opportunities.”

Colin Glen is now a hive of activity, with a gym, a SkyTrek aerial adventure course, laser tag, archery, kayaking, raft building, bushcraft, orienteering climbing, a nine-hole golf course, multi-sports pitches and much more.

Unemployed young people who join the Youth Forum have access to training and opportunities for paid work in the park’s activities.

“We brought the place back from ruin,” Colm said, “but it’s about something a lot bigger than just a forest park now. It’s about bringing the community together and opening up opportunities for everyone, especially those young people who need it the most.”

Twenty five years on from its foundation, Colin Glen Trust has welcomed many of its friends and supporters to an address by its current Chief Executive Colin O’Neill. Colin outlined an exciting vision for the future to the gathered crowd who included none other than Belfast’s Lord Mayor, Nichola Mallon.

Building on what has become one of Northern Ireland’s premier outdoor venues for healthy and stimulating entertainment, the current Trust plans to invest significant funds in the development of the forest over the next 10 years. To find out more contact the team on 028 9061 4115.

Young people and older men and women in west Belfast are getting involved with community work and improvements thanks to grants from Big Lottery Fund.

Colin Glen Trust and Creann go Beatha Men’s Shed are among four west Belfast groups sharing in grants totalling £39,887 from the Awards for All programme. It is part of a Big Lottery Fund grants windfall of £769,369 to 91 groups across Northern Ireland (see separate attachment for full list of awards).

Colin Glen Trust in west Belfast promotes the development of Colin Glen Forest Park and provides environmental, educational, recreational and community activities. They are using the £9,960 grant for a feasibility study to develop a 3km multi use trail system for mountain biking and walking and trail-head facilities like a play area for young children, a visitor hub, cafe, car parking and toilets.

The mountain bike skills trail will be an introductory level trail to encourage people to try out the sport. It will encourage people in the area to get active and engage in their community resources. Colin Glen trust is involving young people from the area in the design of the trails, to give them a sense of ownership and engagement with their community.

“We want to harness local enthusiasm for the trails project and channel it into development, management and maintenance, and away from any negative issues in the area,” said Rory Martin, Activity Manager at Colin Glen trust.