Mainstay DRP begins work on £3m plan

Mainstay DRP begins work on £3m plan

26 March 2014

CONSTRUCTION work has started on a new £3m development in Downpatrick for people with a learning disability which will also provide the town with a timely jobs boost.

A three-acre site at the Killough Road is being developed by the Mainstay DRP charity which hopes the new ultra-modern facility can open in the spring of next year.

The development of the multi-million pound building will also provide a major boost for the local construction industry as the complex will be built by Downpatrick firm H. J. O’Boyle.

The new development, which will be known as Cumulus Heights, will not only develop valuable services for people with a learning disability and their families, but provide a much-needed boost for the local economy.

Cumulus Heights will feature two residential homes, day care services, two respite services and a training and administrative centre.

Mainstay DRP says these services are critical for many local families who are often struggling to balance the challenges of everyday life alongside those that come along with supporting a disabled loved one.

The new development is designed to provide a lifeline to people and their families, in particular those who are growing older.

Helen Taylor, the charity’s chief executive, explained this situation continues to be compounded by a learning disabled population that is growing in size and complexity year on year, due to advances in medical intervention and other social factors.

“This population continue to experience social exclusion, and it is our duty to be responsive, and to care enough to want what is best for them,” she continued.

“The start of construction work on our eagerly-awaited new building represents the culmination of a number of years of hard work by fundraisers from across this district. The new building will enable us to provide new services for our clients as they are getting older and their needs are changing.”

Helen said Mainstay DRP is “building for the future” and said everyone associated with the organisation, which employs 160 people, is delighted the diggers are now on site.

She added: “It will be a few months before we see the building starting to take shape as there is a lot of ground work to do first, but we hope that by the spring of next year we will be ready to move in.”

Mainstay DRP believes the economic benefits of the major construction scheme are both long and short term. It says additional long term jobs will include social care, administration and training, with the £3.5m scheme boosting the local construction industry in the short term.

While work on the scheme is now underway, Mainstay’s fundraising team still needs £100,000 to reach its target in order to secure the money to complete Cumulus Heights. The charity says fundraising will continue to provide valuable income in order to develop new services for the changing needs of people.

Funding for the Downpatrick project is being provided by a number of sources including the charity’s hardworking fundraisers, grants from charitable donor trusts and a bank loan. Charity officials estimate it will take 15 years to pay back the various loans and that as a result, the fundraising will continue.