Waterside Shared Village win All-Island IPB Pride of Place Award

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council has extended his congratulations to the Waterside Shared Village, as they were crowed winners at this year’s All-Island IPB Pride of Place Awards. 

Waterside Shared Village was honoured at the All-Ireland Pride of Place community awards on Friday evening (November 7) in Limerick. The scheme won the Inclusive Communities category, with the Belfast based Solas group coming runner-up.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Ruairí McHugh, said he was delighted for the teams behind the Waterside Shared Village.

“I am absolutely delighted to congratulate Waterside Shared Village on winning the Inclusive Communities category at the All-Island IPB Pride of Place Awards held in Limerick.

"This award is a tremendous recognition of the dedication, vision, and partnership that define the Waterside Shared Village. It stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when communities come together to build shared spaces based on understanding, respect, and cooperation. I’d also like to say a huge congratulations to Enagh Youth Forum who were also nominated on the night for their fantastic work in our communities – another shining example of impressive community sector work.  

“The Pride of Place Awards are among the most prestigious community recognition programmes on the island of Ireland, celebrating grassroots leadership and volunteerism that make our towns and cities better places to live. For the Waterside Shared Village to be honoured on this stage reflects the strength, resilience, and generosity of the people behind it — and of our wider community here in Derry and the North West.”

Judges praised the grassroots nature of the Waterside Shared Village.

“This project truly is a shared recreational and social village between two communities that for a long time lived apart. The project is built on very strong community foundations that were developed by two of the participating founders who’d showed courage and innovation to step across into each other’s community. The project would not be as strong without this foundation.”

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The Waterside Shared Village and Enagh Youth Forum were nominated by Council in this year’s competition. The prestigious awards, presented by Co-operation Ireland and its local authority partners with headline sponsor IPB Insurance, celebrate the outstanding work being done by communities across the island of Ireland. The Waterside Shared Village was nominated in the Cities Competition - Inclusive Communities and Enagh Youth Forum in the Main Competition - Community Youth Initiative.

Pride of Place founder and Chairman Tom Dowling said: “After 23 years of these motivational awards recognising exceptional community endeavour, the judges continue to be inspired and humbled in equal measures, as they hear directly from the nominated communities their story of their pride in their place and the extraordinary work they are doing to ease the path of life for all the people in their place irrespective of date or place of birth, ability or wealth.”