Ganson UK has been selected by the Council to carry out the conversion. Site manager Cathal McClelland (second from right) and colleagues enjoy a break

With all of the necessary funding now in place construction work has started on Saintfield Community Centre.

A letter of offer of £500,000 has been received from the Mourne, Gullion and Lecale Local Action Group which is responsible for delivery of Priority 6 of the Rural Development Programme.  The formal announcement of the funding was made at a special event at the Belfast Road site of the community centre on Friday 10th August.  Newry, Mourne and Down District Council will provide £800,000 towards the cost of the conversion of the former B.J. Caraher site into Saintfield Community Centre.  The work is expected to be completed by early 2019.

Martyn Todd (second from left in photo above), Chair of Saintfield Development Association, said, “It is fantastic that everybody in the Saintfield area will have a new shared space for indoor sports and community activities.  We are delighted that funding from the Rural Development Programme and Peace IV were added to the money committed by Newry, Mourne and Down Council to make this happen.  Over the years of the project, many different people, council officials, councillors and organisations have contributed to the project.  Without their input and support we would not be where we are today, with the reality of a community centre just a few months away.  I hope this long-awaited amenity will bring new heart to our village where people of all ages, backgrounds and interests can interact and enjoy a variety of activities in a shared space.”