Fresh start for estates as community body formed

Fresh start for estates as community body formed

28 September 2016

A NEW community group has been formed in Downpatrick.

Entitled Tosí Úr — which translates as Fresh Start — the group draws its members from Lynn Doyle Place, Kennedy Square, Fountain Court and Fountain Street.

The group wants to promote social and economic regeneration of this part of Downpatrick and will work alongside a number of community and statutory bodies to help raise the area’s profile.

Members of the group view the removal of the blast wall at the town’s former police base in Irish Start as a metaphor for the new start it plans to breathe into four parts of the town they believe have been starved of major investment.

Tosí Úr has also joined the Downpatrick Community Collective which is an umbrella organisation for community and residents’ groups across the town. It works alongside key organisations like the Housing Executive, Northern Ireland Water, County Down Rural Community Network, Transport NI and Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

Group chairman, Dave Stavely, said residents are determined to work hard to regenerate their areas and are looking to the future with confidence.

“We only formed a matter of weeks ago and I am pleased people from the four areas we represent have joined the group. By working together and alongside many key organisations, we are confident of raising the profile of parts of the town which need new impetus,” he said.

Mr Stavely explained the key aim of the new group is to make Lynn Doyle Place, Kennedy Square, Fountain Court and Fountain Street better places for the people who live there. 

“We want to restore pride in these areas and have also joined the town’s Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership Board to help us with this. We are also keen to secure funding to finance new initiatives in the areas and will have direct contact with senior officials from a number of key organisations which is important when it comes to raising issues of concern.”

Mr Stavely is confident the group’s membership will increase and outlined plans to hold a community clean-up, the details of which are currently being finalised.

“The fact we are a properly constituted group means we can speak to the people that matter in the hope of delivering schemes which are important to us. We are keen to work in partnership with others,” he said.

Mr Stavely said he is encouraged by the enthusiasm of those who have joined the group and believes others will come forward in the weeks and months ahead.

He added: “We are taking action to help ourselves and hope that by working alongside other bodies we can raise the profile of these four key areas in Downpatrick. We are confident we can achieve success with the assistance of others.

“We are pleased to be working alongside the County Down Rural Community Network whose support was invaluable in helping us get off the ground. It is still early days, but we are determined to make a difference.”

Jeanette McCarthy, the new group’s vice-chairwoman, who has lived in Lynn Doyle Place all her life, is delighted Tosí Úr has been formed.

“The removal of the blast wall in Irish is a great boost for the people of Lynn Doyle. The area is much brighter and welcoming and we are all keen to see the regeneration of this part of the town and believe it can do nothing but good,” she added.