Press Release

Local services: meeting local needs
Launch of the Community Directory

Wednesday, 08 December 2004

The first ever directory detailing community and voluntary groups in the Derry City Council area is to be launched by the Mayor, Cllr Gearoíd ÓhEára at the City Hotel today, Wednesday, December 08 2004 at 11.00 am.

The directory has been established by the Local Strategy Partnership in conjunction with the Voluntary and Community Unit of Department for Social Development, Derry City Council and Invest NI and will include a brief summary of the key activities and contact details of community and voluntary groups in the Council area.

Speaking at the launch the Mayor, Cllr Gearoíd ÓhEára said he was delighted to be launching this innovative initiative.

He said: “I believe the directory will be a tremendous resource for everyone in the local community and will prove to be a very useful reference document and signposting resource. This is first comprehensive Directory of its nature which has quality written all over it and I am excited about the roll out of the other aspects of the project. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work carried out by everyone associated with the publication of this directory, the groups on the ground, the Local Strategy Partnership, the funders of the project and Guildhall Press.

“Derry City Council is delighted to be part of this project and is committed to offering whatever support is necessary in helping the voluntary and community sector define its sustainability strategy,” he added.

Ms. Oonagh McGillion, Strategy Manager described the compilation of the directory as a hugely challenging task. “This city and district has a wealth of individuals and organisations with strong skills and experience who contribute to community based activities within their local communities. It is only when you start to map all of this work that you begin to really appreciate the expertise, dedication and enthusiasm of all those working to improve the lives of children, young people, older people, people with disabilities, people from ethnic minority communities and everyone in our Council area. In total 367 groups were identified for inclusion in the directory and there was over 96% response rate for entries in the Directory.

"The purpose of this publication is to create awareness of the valuable work and the range of services that are being delivered locally. It should also be used as a resource to help direct individuals within the community and voluntary sector, organisations from all sectors and the general public when planning any new activities, buildings and services so that there is no duplication of effort or that gaps in provision are addressed and any new projects can be planned in partnership with other groups to help aid the sustainability of the new or existing project.”

She added that once the LSP recognised the future difficulties the sector would face in terms of sustainability, it decided to get involved in the project. She explained: “Core to the work of the Partnership through the Integrated Local Strategy is to help the sector to prepare and plan for its future in the context of the work of the Task Force for Resourcing the Voluntary and Community sector. As the project idea developed the Local Strategy Partnership approached Derry City Council to partner with it on the development and implementation of the project. Over the next six to nine months the other elements of the project will be rolled out and these will play an important role in assisting the sector with its sustainability plans.”

This directory is one of the key elements of the Mapping our Community Project. The project formally started in January 2004 to assist with planning and preparation for the future sustainability of the community and voluntary sector in the Derry City Council area. It is jointly funded by the Voluntary and Community Unit of the Department for Social Development under Measure 3.3 of the EU Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity, Invest NI and Derry City Council. The project was officially launched in July when the work started in earnest to collate all the relevant information on the community infrastructure in the Derry City Council area such as the buildings, equipment, services, projects, people and financial costs and resources.

Research Officer with the project Ms. Roisin McLaughlin said the directory is designed to be as user-friendly as possible with an index section, use of symbols and organisations listed alphabetically.

“I would urge everyone to use it widely in their work and to advise the Local Strategy Partnership on how it can become a single point of reference, which captures the range of activities and groups locally. The directory is very much user led with all the content being provided by the organisations themselves. This is version 1 of the directory and it is our intention to update the directory annually.

“The directory and the overall project would not have been possible without the financial support of the Voluntary and Community Unit of Department for Social Development under the EU Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme, Invest NI and Derry City Council. Nor without the support of the Advisory Group and in particular our local support organisations who facilitated the interviews with all the community and voluntary organisations,” she said.

Anyone who requires a copy of the directory should contact the Local Strategy Partnership on 71308466.

Ends

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