Promoting health and wellbeing for all across Creggan and Brandywell

The Old Library Trust, as part of the Community in Transition Project, has co-ordinated and managed the distribution of small grant allocations to 14 local organisations across Creggan and the Brandywell, delivering events promoting the importance of local people looking after their health and wellbeing and connecting better with their own communities.

The project, part of a health and wellbeing initiative led by the Old Library Trust’s Healthy Living Centre in Creggan, partnered and supported by the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum and funded by the Executive Office’s ‘Communities in Transition’ project. Communities in Transition, is part of the Executive’s action plan on tackling paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime, and its aim is to support communities to become more resilient.

The 14 organisations involved - Creggan Neighbourhood Partnership; Creggan Pre-School and Training Trust; Pink Ladies/Pink Panthers Cancer Support Group; Bogside and Brandywell Initiative; Inclusively Fit; Top Ten Drama Group; Holy Child and St. John’s Primary Schools; Ballymoor FC; Trojans FC; St Mary’s Youth Club; Oakleaf Boxing Club; Sean Dolan’s GAC and The Old Library Trusts Men’s Health project - all planned and delivered a diverse range of programmes and events that supported the local community and engaged residents from ages one to-91.

The Top Ten Drama group explored workshops, where they created digital messages exploring the impact of mental health on our older residents and then created positive messages of change that can be shared with the community.

Holy Child Primary School and St. John’s Primary School ran workshops in both Fresh Little Minds and EXCEL physical activity sessions to allow children to understand the impact of choices and behaviours as they grow, whilst Sean Dolan’s GAA Club delivered a children's support programme developing their members overall health and mental wellbeing through the medium of Gaelic football.

Nicola Cullen, principal of Holy Child Primary School, commenting on the positive impact the small grant had on the children at Holy Child and St. John’s, said: “Over recent times instances within the school environment where children are experiencing worry and anxiety has increased dramatically and as schools we cannot do everything on our own.

Great fun at the “Inclusively Fit Sports Programme’ at the Bishop’s Field Sports Centre last week.

“This small grant and the partnership with both the Old Library Trust and the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum meant we were able to deliver alternative solutions to help children deal with their anxiety and stresses.

“We are wrapping the whole community around the children and giving them as much support as we can to give them the best possible opportunities of improved health and wellbeing into the future.

Julie White, Communities in Transition Project co-ordinator at The Old Library Trust also highlighted the importance of community and thanked everyone involved for the quality of programme and service delivered to residents.

Moya Colhoun, Liz McGilloway, Jean McCauley and Maisy Green at front, and, at back, Danny Colhoun, Spasie McGilloway and Georgina Colhoun.

She said: ‘All these events have been co-ordinated and delivered in the month of June.

“Thank you to everyone involved for providing residents of all ages with the opportunity to get involved, connect to programmes and services, people, and organisations. As a result, more people will now be aware of both existing and new opportunities to improve their health and wellbeing.

“A big thanks you also to our funders at the NI Executive Office who continue to support the work of our organisation but more importantly our residents and communities.”