Solicitor appointed as new head at visitor centre

Solicitor appointed as new head at visitor centre

13 September 2017

THE new head of the St Patrick Visitor Centre Board is looking forward to her role and strengthening the Downpatrick facility’s link with the local community.

Solicitor Emma Killen — who has taken over the reins from Mr John Carson — said she was particularly keen to get local people involved in the visitor attraction and to earn their support for a facility she described as a “main hub in Downpatrick” and a particularly impressive building.

Ms Killen, who is a partner in the King and Boyd legal firm, has been involved with the management of the centre dedicated to Ireland’s patron saint since 2014. She says it is important the local community feels it has a vested interest in the multi-million pound facility and that they own it.

She said the Centre was now in its best financial position and was enthusiastic about its future, with the management board continuing to work in partnership with Newry, Mourne and Down Council which provides annual financial support.

Emma explained her attitude when she was invited to join the management board three years ago.

“There was no point being involved if you were not going to do anything. I was happy to give whatever time I could,” she said.

“I am from Loughinisland, have worked in Downpatrick for the past 17 years and been a partner in King and Boyd Solicitors since 2005. It never occurred to me to get involved with the St Patrick Centre until I was invited to do so by Mr Carson.

“The facility is such a fantastic hub for Downpatrick and it struck me that so many local people do not know it is here or do not set foot across the door, including members of my own family who live just five miles away.”

Ms Killen said her dad, John, who recently retired from his post as the chief librarian at Belfast’s Linenhall Library, has written a book on St Patrick which is due to be published by Blackstaff Press before the end of the year.

“I am very keen to get local people involved in the Centre and to earn their support. I think it is important the local community feels it has a vested interest in the facility and feel that they own it,” she continued, admitting her knowledge of the visitor attraction before her involvement centred around newspaper articles on its financial status.

“A lot of the stories were negative and that is not me being critical. That is the way it was at the time. One of the things we want to work on is earning the support of the local community and its involvement in the Centre.”

Ms Keenan said that with the attraction’s financial situation now improved, the focus can turn to improving the facility. Key areas which require attention are marketing, education and community outreach. The Centre previously had an education officer, but the post was lost due to financial pressure.

“We want to implement an education programme and that is something I have been working on very closely with Centre Director Dr Tim Campbell,” she continued.

“We want a programme that schools can utilise and that will be done in conjunction with a new website we are developing at the minute.

“The Centre attracts a significant number of visitors with around 800 coaches a year coming here and I think it is very exciting there are plans for a new hotel in the town as this will provide people with an opportunity to stay and further explore the area and its many other facilities.

“Visitors spending more time in Downpatrick will have a ripple effect for employment and local businesses and it is important we nail down this hotel investment.”

Ms Keenan is also keen to see more of the Centre’s visitors make their way to local shops to provide them with an economic boost and believes the new hotel has a critical role to play in this regard.

“We don’t want visitors to come here, see the facility and then get back on the bus and go elsewhere. We want to get them up to the Down County Museum, Down Cathedral and spending money in the town centre shops. Our staff direct tourists out and about if they do want to look for something in particular and we recognise its is vitally important the Centre helps produce a benefit for Downpatrick.”

Ms Killen also revealed that the Centre wants to look at doing something that would help people at Christmas. 

“Two years ago, we launched a giving tree initiative to help the community as we recognise there are a lot of families in need in the area,” she said.

“Charity starts at home so we teamed up with Social Services staff who gave us details of children we could help and placed their details on the giving tree which people removed and bought a Christmas present for them. The presents were returned to the visitor centre and distributed by Social Services staff. It was an initiative the community really got behind and one we are keen to continue.

“We also organised other free attractions over the festive period to encourage people through the door. We recognise you need to work from the ground and we want children to grow up familiar with this place and feel free to come in and out of it.

“Another area the management board wants to encourage the community to use in greater numbers is the stunning garden area at the rear.”

Looking to the challenges ahead, Ms Killen is grateful to the hard work of her predecessor who, she said, has left her with a firm foundation to build on.

She continued: “I am up for the challenge of being the new chair and pay tribute to John and the other board members who come from diverse backgrounds and have a range of skills and experience.

“We have two new board members, retired teacher Anthony King and Marie Gallagher from Downe Travel. Every person is on the management board for a reason and has various skills to help us develop the programmes we need.

“We view the Centre as very much part of Downpatrick, with everything starting from here and rippling out. We are planning to make increased use of social media to help us target young people and are keen to forge relations with other local businesses which have good social media followings and build mutually beneficial relationships.”

Ms Killen added: “I am fortunate to have a really good team around me and it is an honour to be involved with the St Patrick Centre and to be the chairman of its management board. The Centre’s financial position has been stabilised and, moving forward, it is absolutely crucial we continue to have the support of the local council and its monetary backing.