Project Directory - Project Entry

Description:

Background to the Project:
The Glencairn People's Project was set up in 1991 to develop a community-led initiative to encourage economic regeneration in the Glencairn area. We were incorporated as a company limited by guarantee with no share capital in 1993. The board of directors of the group consists of 19 members who represent a wide range of experience, including directors who are involved in a range of commercial activities. Some of the directors have experience of similar types of development and there is considerable experience of community based economic activity. The local community is substantially represented.

The main aims and objectives of the group are:
* to improve the conditions of life for the residents of Glencairn and its environs
* to provide facilities for the recreational activity and in the interest of social welfare
* to advance education and to provide training facilities to promote economic regeneration in the area
* to be a community led initiative which develops the socio-economic aspects of the Glencairn area
* to operate without distinction of sex, age, colour, national origin, religion or political opinion.

The Glencairn estate is one of the most deprived areas in Belfast and is known in West Belfast for its high unemployment rate. Currently there are few, if any recognisable resources in the area i.e no shopping facilities, no job or training prospects and the needs of the community are great and varied.

As the first steps towards economic regeneration, the group has set up a community museum and restaurant facility at Fernhill House. The basic underpinning principles of this regeneration are to provide local jobs for local people, and provide educational and recreational opportunities for the children and young adults both from the local area and further afield in the province.

Project Details:
As outlined above we have set up a community museum in the Glencairn area of Belfast. Fernhill House, the People's Museum, explores the history of the Shankill and Greater Shankill areas of Belfast, telling the story of the lives of people of that area from the 19th Century through to the present day. The main areas the museum explores are the social, industrial and labour history of the greater Shankill, the tradition of military service and aspects of cultural identity.