South Armagh Pre-School Playgroup Awarded £250K

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A Forkhill Pre-School Playgroup has been awarded £250K to enable them to develop a Community Hub.

Mourne, Gullion and Lecale Rural Development Partnership (MGLRDP) awarded the grant funding of over £250,000 from the Rural Basic Services Scheme of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) 2014-2020 to Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd.

Funding from the Rural Development Programme, along with a significant contribution from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, will enable the organisation to develop a Community Hub, creating vital facilities for both local families utilising the playgroup and the wider community. The new multi-use facility will provide a range of cross community services including pre-school programmes, mental health programmes, IT training, wellbeing programmes and life-long learning opportunities.

Pictured at Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd are (L-R) Councillor Michael Larkin, Nuala Duffy Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd Promoter, Ann Grant, Local Action Group Vice Chairperson, Local Action Group Member Declan Mulgrew, Local Action Group Member, Councillor Roisin Mulgrew Local Action Group Chairperson, Councillor Robert Burgess, Local Action Group Member, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Laura Devlin, Jonathan McGilly, Assistant Director of Enterprise, Regeneration & Tourism, NMDDC, Councillor Aoife Finnegan, Local Action Group Member, Marie Grant, Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd Chairperson. Funding from the Rural Development Programme, along with a significant contribution from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, will enable Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd to develop a Community Hub, creating vital facilities for both local families utilising the playgroup and the wider community.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Laura Devlin said, “The Rural Development funding is helping to provide vital community facilities and in turn is assisting the Councils Community Plan vision of having accessible services for local residents improving their quality of life”.

Councillor Roisin Mulgrew, Chairperson of (MGLRDP) said, “The Local Action Group is delighted to be able to award funding to Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd. The new Community Hub is a multifaceted facility providing the playgroup with a purpose-built facility dedicated to the needs of young families in the local community; as well as offering the wider community the opportunity to avail of an excellent facility for hosting a variety of activities for all ages and abilities.”

The Community Hub is a welcome and important addition to the Forkhill community and will complement the existing community facilities within the local area which are currently in high demand.

Development of the Community Hub has commenced, and aims to be completed by Spring 2021, when Forkhill Preschool Playgroup Ltd will welcome the wider community to avail of the new facilities and services.

For more information on Mourne, Gullion and Lecale Rural Development Partnership and its funding schemes please visit: WWW.MOURNEGULLIONLECALE.COM