Future looking bright for Saint Patrick Centre

Future looking bright for Saint Patrick Centre

1 January 2013

THE St Patrick Centre won’t be closing its doors anytime soon — and instead hopes to enjoy a “new era” of relations with Down Council.

John Carson, chairman of the centre board, has said he believes the finances of the centre are now stable and potential closure has been avoided.

Addressing the local authority at a recent committee meeting, he warned, however, that it would be difficult to sustain operations if anything less than £125,000 was awarded by Down Council in its annual grant.

In April last year the centre’s board of directors decided the centre would have to close that month after the council imposed a £20,000 cut in the authority’s annual grant, reducing it to £115,000.

This was compounded by the fact the council sought repayment of a £100,000 loan given to the centre in 2001 when the foot and mouth crisis decimated its first year of trading.

Surprised council officials, who had presumed the centre would accept the cuts, held behind closed doors meetings to secure the centre on a short term basis, and the new three year Service Level Agreement is currently being negotiated.

Accompanied by the Centre Director, Dr. Tim Campbell, Mr. Carson said his first priority taking over as chairman eight months ago was to engage in dialogue with Down Council. He said he was “shocked at the lack of communication” and called for a “new era of total transparency”.

“Since becoming centre chairman, I have taken on the challenge of bringing the Saint Patrick Visitor Centre from the threat of closure to a now positive operating position,” he said.

“The future of the centre is now on a more secure basis. There has been in-depth dialogue between centre management and council officials leading to a new working relationship.”

He also warned that he wouldn’t allow the St. Patrick Centre, which he described as an essential tourist facility for the district, to “become a political football”.

“The Saint Patrick Centre is essential to maintaining tourism in Down District and is the hub of all tourist and Christian Heritage sites in the area,” he said. “I am extremely pleased with the increase in visitor numbers this year and it clearly shows that we are now reaping the benefits of aggressive marketing, especially in the US. An enormous effort is still required over the next two years to develop the company into 2015 and beyond.”

Regarding Down Council funding, Mr. Carson said he was confident he could guide the centre financially over the next three years with a council grant of £125,000. He added that any reduction in this grant would have a detrimental effect on the financial viability of the company and thus have a knock-on effect on the growth of tourism in Down District.

Mr. Carson went on to explain that he and the director were exploring other avenues to obtain funding, such as with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, NIEA, and the Office of the First Minister in Stormont Castle.

Dr. Campbell said that the core business of the centre was tour coaches and cruise ships, with 260 coaches visiting the centre in 2012 and 80 per cent of the visitors from the USA.

He told councillors of contacts made in London, Glasgow, Dublin and across the US., and how not just the St. Patrick Centre but all of Down District was being marketed. He added that the cost of trips to these venues is being met by Tourism Ireland, Coach Operators and Friends of St. Patrick Groups in America.

The chairman of Down Council’s Cultural and Economic Development Committee, Councillor Anne McAleenan, said that while it was early days she was delighted with the prediction of increased visitor numbers.

“The whole idea of forging a new partnership between Down District Council and The Saint Patrick Centre Board was to ensure the centre receives more prominence and visibility to potential tourists and to help our visitors get the most from their experience of this wonderful town and district,” she said.

Councillor Eamonn Mac Con Midhe pointed out that the £100,000 grant from Down Council 10 years ago had risen to over £150,000 before cuts. He said the appeals for money “kept coming back” and requested that the committee be informed of the St. Patrick Centre’s exact financial situation.

“What is the actual profit?” he asked.

Councillor McAleenan said confidential information of this kind could not be discussed at this public meeting but could be dealt with at a later private “in committee” meeting.