An Evolving Conversation
The process of forming the Walled City Community Partnership (WCCP) began in 2005. It came about from a few different streams of thought converging.
Three organisations with virtually the same address were then in receipt of core funding from the same source - the Community Relations Council. These three organisations, The Junction, Holywell Trust and the Peace and Reconciliation Group (PRG) began a conversation which focused on how core funding could become secured long-term for a single entity. This conversation is still ongoing whilst in the meantime The Junction and Holywell Trust have merged their Community Relations Council core funded activities and PRG are actively considering how they might do likewise.
Modernisation Fund - First Attempt
Other organisations became engaged in discussing how we might begin to share resources, ideas and contacts so that we could begin to be more effective. This led to discussions on sharing of premises and whenever the call came out from the Department for Social Development (DSD) for Modernisation Fund applications then the WCCP was already working along the lines which Fund was hoping to encourage. With this in mind Holywell Trust undertook to act as lead partner in making application to the Modernisation Fund for resources for a feasibility study in January 2006. However, our application was rejected and yet despite this rejection in was agreed that we should explore the concept fully.
Modernisation Fund - Second Attempt, International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and Peace III
This exploration led to the making of an application in 2007 for funding to the second call of the Modernisation Fund - alongside applications to IFI (Community Based Economic and Social Regeneration Programme) and Peace III (Shared Public Spaces Programme).
As a result of this the IFI and DSD agreed to take the project to economic appraisal stage whilst Peace III rejected our proposal.
During these processes the members of the Partnership developed much greater understanding and insight into the work of each of the organisations - most of the work in preparing applications, organising residentials, developing discussion papers etc. was carried out by Holywell Consultancy.
Funding Success
After the completion of the economic appraisal the IFI were the first to commit, agreeing to fund the refurbishment/rebuild of the two buildings at 8-14 Bishop Street on condition that the Modernisation Fund commit to substantially grant aiding the purchase of the buildings from the Inner City Trust. This was eventually arrived at in 2010. On 11 March 2010 Margaret Ritchie MLA, Minister for Social Development, officially handed over the keys to the project to the chairman of Holwell Trust, Willie O'Donnell. So five years on from beginning the process we have reached the next critical stage:
The process of forming the Walled City Community Partnership (WCCP) began in 2005. It came about from a few different streams of thought converging.
Three organisations with virtually the same address were then in receipt of core funding from the same source - the Community Relations Council. These three organisations, The Junction, Holywell Trust and the Peace and Reconciliation Group (PRG) began a conversation which focused on how core funding could become secured long-term for a single entity. This conversation is still ongoing whilst in the meantime The Junction and Holywell Trust have merged their Community Relations Council core funded activities and PRG are actively considering how they might do likewise.
Modernisation Fund - First Attempt
Other organisations became engaged in discussing how we might begin to share resources, ideas and contacts so that we could begin to be more effective. This led to discussions on sharing of premises and whenever the call came out from the Department for Social Development (DSD) for Modernisation Fund applications then the WCCP was already working along the lines which Fund was hoping to encourage. With this in mind Holywell Trust undertook to act as lead partner in making application to the Modernisation Fund for resources for a feasibility study in January 2006. However, our application was rejected and yet despite this rejection in was agreed that we should explore the concept fully.
Modernisation Fund - Second Attempt, International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and Peace III
This exploration led to the making of an application in 2007 for funding to the second call of the Modernisation Fund - alongside applications to IFI (Community Based Economic and Social Regeneration Programme) and Peace III (Shared Public Spaces Programme).
As a result of this the IFI and DSD agreed to take the project to economic appraisal stage whilst Peace III rejected our proposal.
During these processes the members of the Partnership developed much greater understanding and insight into the work of each of the organisations - most of the work in preparing applications, organising residentials, developing discussion papers etc. was carried out by Holywell Consultancy.
Funding Success
After the completion of the economic appraisal the IFI were the first to commit, agreeing to fund the refurbishment/rebuild of the two buildings at 8-14 Bishop Street on condition that the Modernisation Fund commit to substantially grant aiding the purchase of the buildings from the Inner City Trust. This was eventually arrived at in 2010. On 11 March 2010 Margaret Ritchie MLA, Minister for Social Development, officially handed over the keys to the project to the chairman of Holwell Trust, Willie O'Donnell. So five years on from beginning the process we have reached the next critical stage:
- The funding has been secured.
- The buildings have been purchased.
- The process for the appointment of professional firm to undertake the refurbishment/rebuild are nearing completion.
- The work will begin in 2011.
- The work will be completed by 2012.
- A new board for Holywell Trust (that will manage the rebuild process and new building upon completion) from the member organisations of WCCP is being appointed.
- Negotiations are underway to ensure complementarity with other programmes, particularly City of Culture events.
- Discussions between the members of the WCCP are ongoing.
- Arrangements for decanting during the building phase are being actively considered.
August 2010