Ardglass group wins major award for community pride

Ardglass group wins major award for community pride

1 March 2017

ARDGLASS Development Association has picked up a major new award designed to reward volunteers who instil pride in their communities.

The Association (ADA) has picked up the Contribution to Tourism Award at the first ever Live Here Love Here Community Awards organised by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

ADA has been a charity based in Ardglass for over 20 years and has successfully completed a number of projects over the years including a £1.6m regeneration programme consisting of new street lighting, kerbs, railings and monuments displayed around the fishing village. 

In 2015 the Association opened a heritage centre in Ardglass displaying the village history.

More recently the ADA has spearheaded a campaign seeking EU Bathing Water status for local beaches in a bid to enhance tourism in the greater Lecale area.  

ADA is now working on the Live Here Love Here project, funded by the small grants scheme, and has gained access to a green space for a community garden which will be a meeting place for locals and tourists to come together.

Councillor Cadogan Enright, who has worked closely with ADA for several years, has welcomed the award and paid tribute to the work of former ADA chairman, the late Gerry O’Shea.

“As project manager for the Down Area Rural Partnership-funded Heritage and Tourism centre in Ardglass I see this as a just recognition of visionary local people like Gerry O’Shea,” said Mr Enright. 

“I was drafted in to manage this project after his untimely death and am glad it is beginning to be recognised. It would never have got over the line had it not been for the personal financial contribution of Ł10,000 by the O’Shea family and another Ł11,000 from ADA CP director Mary McCargo who was driven by a desire to see her friend Gerry’s vision being delivered in the village.”

Councillor Enright said the centre has opened up an understanding in official quarters of the tourism potential of the Lecale Coast. 

“Another example of the increased awareness of Lecale is the successful campaign to secure EU Bathing status for local beaches. This campaign was led by village committees in Kilclief, Ballyhornan, Coney Island and Killough and as campaign organiser I can only praise ADA for sponsoring a bus to take swimmers and event organisers from beach to beach over several years to coordinate events,” he continued.

“The EU beach campaign looks like it will be another success, and, in truth, this award is really a recognition of the work of all the village committees along the coast.”

“Hopefully this will boost the current cross-party initiative in council to support the Ardglass Heritage and Tourism Centre as a tourist office for the Lecale Coast in a similar manner to the community-led tourism centre in Portaferry.”