www.grosvenorcommunitycentre.co.uk
Trustees Report
2022 has represented a continued year of renaissance for Grosvenor Community Centre, with expanded facilities and programming growth. The organisation has also dedicated time to looking forward with a long lens at improved urban planning and reconnecting the ‘Grosvenor’ community to city core and wider Belfast in physical and economic capacity terms. Whist simultaneously providing daily high quality, contemporary services to reflect the community landscape and to make sure the people of our Belfast city are ready for the opportunities of the next decade.
The pandemic, lockdown, changed working habits and gaps in education have altered community needs. The organisation has endeavoured in year to ensure we reflect, we respond, and we are relevant . Grosvenor Community Centre, (GCC), worked in 2022 to ensure access to exemplary health programmes, alternative learning pathways, whole family support, wellbeing provisions and with emergency supports.
A further key need identified, post lockdown, has been a decrease in the provision of statutory services, particularly around roads, weeds and infrastructure. GCC has tried where possible to find solutions to the backlog of work required to sustain a safe and secure community. The year did represent a welcome return to normalised programming and operational services, including full group activities, all indoor provision and large-scale events. However, the ramifications of the pandemic in the wider society have been acute and have required some altered service provision at the facility to meet new challenges, particularly linked to cost of living, drugs, alcohol and increased mental health challenges.
- In an effort to support community resiliency during uncertain times, additional services have been implemented such as increased summer provision, expanded youth services, family support services, emergency provisions for essential home costs and counselling.
The health and sporting programming at GCC in 2022 at the new and improved playing field have continued to flourish. The period has witnessed, continuance of new communities engagement at the pitch, growth in existing teams competitive progression, enhanced engagement of women and girls and increased use by persons over the age of 65 years. The quality of facilities is currently excellent, with the renovated surface, new fencing and accessible, high quality spectator stand.
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Grosvenor CHANGE Health Programme 22 Cultural Events at Grosvenor 22
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Grosvenor Community Centre continues to be indebted to the people of Belfast and we are honoured that so many newer communities have chosen to make the facility ‘a home’. In year the organisation has had further growth in use by Asylum seeking communities who live in the city centre as well as sustained use by the Filipino community and Eastern European persons. The facility is accessible, friendly and relevant, supporting a daily footfall of approximately 2,000 people per day. Grosvenor Community Centre supports a diverse age range, whole family unit and those vulnerable to exclusion, be that economic, social or cultural.
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Pinoy Barrio Fiest 22 Independence Day 22
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The organisation wishes to thank support agencies for having a continued vision in ‘Grosvenor’, particularly Belfast City Council for their renewed faith in the community management model. Department for Communities for working in partnership with the organisation towards a rejuvenated Grosvenor Road. Belfast Health and Social Care Trust for recognising the challenges faced by vulnerable families in the area, the Education Authority for valuing the value of the youth voice and Early Years Pathway Fund for enhancing the capacity of the early years sector.
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Welcoming DFC Minister Hargey to a
Community Planning Day
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The engagement of people living in the Falls ward at the centre is the pivotal feature of our success, from volunteering to participating, inputting development drives and supporting vulnerable community members. The organisation, facility and future of the area will be actively driven by the people of the community. As such in 2022 we continued with an outcome-based focus, measuring meaningful impact and long-term change from the individual to the area, to the city.
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2023 Vision
‘Reconnecting The City, Reconnecting People’
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Priorities in Year 2022
Inclusive Growth: ‘Ready to Take City Opportunities’
Training
The organisation worked to ensure a range of innovative learning pathways in the year, as such an extensive training programme linked to clear employment opportunities was implemented. Grosvenor Community Centre worked in partnership with CIT Health to provide a Driving programme, enabling participants to undertake driving lessons, accreditation and test, the programme generated an 80% success rate, with participants indicating increased confidence, movability and widening of employment options. The organisation also provided CSR training
programmes to assist those seeking to enter industrial, manufacturing or building roles as well as Sports accreditation and coaching.
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Training provision is aligned to real job opportunities and gaps in the market and included accreditation in childcare to meet a growing demand in the childcare sector. The accredited training calendar also included Fitness Instruction, SIA (Door Persons Security Badge), Forklift Training, Manual Handling, Data Protection and Child Protection.
SIA Training 2022 Mindfulness & Resiliency Programme
Awareness and Capacity
The development of the area in physical terms is viewed as integral to wider social, economic and family improvements. As such the organisation has continued to ensure the community play the active role in determining physical regeneration of the Grosvenor/Falls.
Distillery Street Focus Group is led by Grosvenor Community Centre, the initiative brings together Living with Water, NIW, Department for Justice, Department for Communities, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Belfast City Council and Department for Infrastructure.
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Draft Designs for Distillery Street SUDS 22
The site focus frames the Grosvenor estate and effectively cuts the area off from South Belfast, City Core and the new capital developments pending for the city, primarily the Transport Hub. The vacant green space has previously been looked at for housing and was deemed not suitable. Grosvenor Community Centre has worked to engage all landowners, to undertake community consultations, secured resourcing for a feasibility study and rationalised development at the site.
Presently the site now has a feasibility study in place for a SuDS scheme, relinking it back into City Core and Forthmeadow. The plans presently are to reopen the interface wall, develop the site via a SUDS system, create a sunken amphitheater and establish Distillery Street as a destination and start off point for the new Greenway, complimenting fully the Transport Hub. The space will provide environmental learning opportunities for local people, potential social economy hubs (temporary units), play spaces, opportunities for biodiversity and create a new city surrounding walking route.
Living with Water and Belfast City Council are currently moving the proposals onto the next stage. In the interim Grosvenor Community Centre managed again in 2022 August to ensure a positive family fun day at the site rather than the negative bonfire which had historically taken place.
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The organisation has lobbied the Department for Communities in partnership with representatives from South Belfast. This led to site visits throughout 2022 to assess the viability of redeveloping Upper Grosvenor Road. This request is progressing with initial indications positive as to the scheme progressing. This will significantly improve the Grosvenor Road in walkability, cycling, for retail, social and community activities.
Distillery Street 8[th] August 2022 – Another Year of Positive Community Fun & Togetherness
Partnership Growth
The pandemic period illustrated to an even greater extent the need for working and positive relationships with key agencies, other communities and in inter community terms. As such in 2022 a working partnership with Bryson continued to flourish, leading to shared programmes and pilot schemes across Belfast. The organisation continued to work in operational terms with South City, based in the Village and has retained membership on the Greater Falls Neighbourhood Partnership, Southwest Action Team, Greater Falls Family Support Hub, Housing Consumer Network and Greater Falls Out of School Hours Network. As well as being represented on two local boards of governors for primary schools and with Communities in Transition Health Programme West Belfast.
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Improved Health Outcomes
The Court Ward area of Belfast, in which the community centre is located, continues to face incredibly alarming health outcomes. Women in the Court Ward are statistically likely to die a full five years before women in more affluent post codes according to NISRA. This statistic in modern times continues to illustrate the difference between communities in poverty and those in other areas. The Grosvenor area is located beside the Westlink, directly adjacent to the worst air quality indications in the city. The community was poorly designed in the 1970’s with limited play space, outdoor zones and poor insulation in homes. Further to this the community was cut in half with Westlink and continues to be separated by the city core by a complex and poorly designed road and pavement network.
The pandemic has resulted in increasing health problems, particularly linked to mental wellbeing. As such in 2022 the organisation worked across all projects to provide viable opportunities for health engagement, including counselling, physical health programmes, external walking and running groups, the CHANGE programme and mindfulness. This service now entitled CHANGE as a full entity has increased by 40%, including women of all ages and men of all ages. The service has been described as an ‘excellent model of community led health programming’. The organisation hopes to expand its offering in 2024 by changing rooms and facilities to enable the inclusion of current waiting list numbers.
CHANGE Programme in Full Flow Indoor and Outdoors 2022
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Spatial Growth:
Demand for space at the site has continued to grow since the pandemic, particularly outdoor space. As such we worked with Belfast City Council to ensure that the new playing field amenities and ground updates were maximised in the period with high use numbers. Further to this a marked demand for cycle space became apparent in early 2022, as such a request was made for a covered cycle stand in the grounds, pictured below…….. Culture Day at Grosvenor Community Garden
Work at the Community Garden has continued to flourish, with the space hosting cultural events and environmental ‘know how’ initiatives. The Plough Men and other user groups have requested more space and we are working together to secure provision at lower Distillery Street as well as having made a bid for new temporary outdoor unit in the community garden site to support overspill from the internal centre. This will be a key growth area moving into 2023.
Project elements moved outdoors, including CHANGE which started a new walking and running group using the Forthmeadow Greenway Section 5. It aims to link this with the new Distillery Street plans and create a branded running route for monthly runs for families.
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Young People Lead at the Grosvenor Community Garden & The Plough Men Create a Summer Wonder
7 Day Services at Grosvenor in 2022
Grosvenor Playgroup
The Playgroup continued in 2022 with maximum capacity of 24 children, this 5-day service is enhanced with a family engagement programme. The service is registered with BHSCT and received an excellent inspection in 2022. The dedicated staffing team are focused on providing high quality care for children aged 2 years and above up to P1. The service supports placements for students and young people interested in a career in childcare or early years. In year additional services were implemented alongside Bryson including a Parent and Baby session 2 days per week.
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Grosvenor Out of School Hours Programme
5 Days per week sees the facility alive with children in the afterschools programme, the service supports 48 children daily. The Out of School Hours programme sees children engaged in health and wellbeing, nutritional support, physical activity, multi sports and learning support. The service ensures that children are able to access a local support programme which is underpinned by a quality, caring and empathetic staff team, along with a healthy snack, a warm welcome and the chance to form positive relationships with peers.
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Grosvenor Youth Service
Grosvenor Youth Service currently supports 79 young people in a varied year-round programme. The service encourages young people from junior and senior age to enjoy communication, learn, develop resilience and enhance capacity. In the year 2022 the members and leaders kept a strong focus on awareness raising, social media safety, mindfulness and wellbeing. The programme included accredited training from first aid to sports coaching, a political understanding initiative, relationship and sex education and body positivity initiative. The members also engaged in a crosscommunity programme focused on redeveloping the estates on either side of the interface wall.
Raising Awareness of Homelessness Celebrating Female Power 2022
Understanding Politics with a Visti to Belfast City Hall & Natural Understanding Programme
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Grosvenor Summer Programme:
The centre provides a 6-week summer programme for children aged 4 years to 12 years and 12 years to 18 years. The summer programme includes 2-day sessions for children and nightly sessions for young people, as well as a Saturday and Sunday programme. The summer programme includes on-site activities as well as an off-site programme of excursions and residential activities. The programme helps children and young people to feel engaged, happy and active all Summer long. The summer also enables the organisation to re-survey residents around emerging themes and area issues. The pandemic undoubtedly changed the community landscape and new challenges have emerged which the organisation is proactively addressing.
Grosvenor Family Support Programme:
Family support provision is on site at the facility in partnership with the GF Family Support Hub. The programme engages whole family unit and reflects individual family needs, by way of example, mum may engage in the wellness programme, younger members may avail themselves of play therapy and children in the Play or summer scheme. The programme is on a case-by-case basis ensuring tailored support which is monitored using outcome measurement.
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Grosvenor Emergency Supports:
The organisation has continued to provide emergency support in times of acute crisis, this included help with home utility costs, emergency food supplies for highly vulnerable isolated persons and assistance with maintenance including garden clearance. It is hoped that this type of support can decrease in 2023, however, we are mindful that the cost-of-living crisis may necessitate continuance for another year of this vital service.
Grosvenor Environmental Programme:
The organisastional staff and volunteers recognised that the area is still facing issues linked to environmental problems, particularly linked to roads infrastructure, weeds in alleyways and shared spaces, litter and graffiti. As such the organisation has continued where possible to undertake area clean ups, weed removal and road safety measures. This was supplemented by the environmental programme at Grosvenor Community Garden, whereby community members were able to learn about planting and developing floral displays for the area which were then disseminated across the estates.
Grosvenor Gives a Helping Hand for Christmas, Summer Family Support Programme
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The centre continued in year to provide facilities and support progammes both indoors and outdoors focused on developmental programming, capacity services, sports, health and wellbeing.
Groups supported at Grosvenor CC Golden Girls, Immaculata Juniors and Seniors, Fire Blades, Rising Stars, McNeil Dancing, Cooke Dancing Group, Pinoy Association, Bryson Parental Support Group, Willowbank, St James Swifts, South Belfast League & More
Festivals and Events in 2022…. Barrio Fiesta, Filipino Independence Day, Belles International Day, Youth Empowerment Conference, Next Generation Celebration, Halloween Fest, Grosvenor Lights Up for Christmas, 8[th] August – Families Together at Distillery Street, February Weekend Health Festival
Operational Days: Monday to Sunday Operational Hours: Monday to Thursday 6.30am to 10.00pm, Friday 6.30am to 12 midnight Saturday 8.30am to 6.00pm, Sunday 10.00am to 7.00pm Operational Weeks: 49 weeks per annum Average Daily Footfall: 2,000
Organisational Updates:
Expenditure in 2022 increased due to increased area demands and extended programming. The period also saw some delays in funding support due to uncertainty around executive departments, this led to some funding support being released in quarterly blocks rather than yearly. This has subsequently balanced in the year 2023. The organisation plans some significant changes to core provision in 2023 to reflect a changed landscape in Belfast, including expanding the engagement programme for persons living in the City centre awaiting status determination and an increase in facilities for the Grosvenor CHANGE initiative. The board of directors and project management team have grown over the years to include younger representation as well as representatives from Grosvenor Residents Group on the management subcommittee.
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A Reflection on the Year 2022
The year has been one of learning and growth for Grosvenor Community Centre. Demands have undoubtedly increased and this has been exasperated by a back log of work to be undertaken by some external support agencies. The community has faced some challenges linked to negative choices which were heightened during the pandemic, and which have left some mental health impacts. The centre responded by upping health and wellbeing programming and continuing emergency supports such as utility supports for individual homes. The facility has sustained extensive 7 day opening hours, supporting a diverse range of groups, ensuring maximum inclusion and bringing a wide range of cultural backgrounds together. Grosvenor Community Centre wishes to thank all those people who have participated at the site and who continue to make our space a vibrant centre in Belfast. The organisation recognises the faith shown by agencies, particularly Belfast City Council, in the community management model. Our vision for 2023 to 2026 is to ensure that the area physically is enhanced, that people are ready and confident to take advantage of the new opportunities in our city and crucially that we level up this area of deprivation to finally occupy its rightful place in Belfast.
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