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Within yards of where three victims of the recent loyalist paramilitary feud were murdered, a sign of hope for the suffering community is being constructed.
A 'sod cutting' ceremony will be held at the site of the new Vine Centre on the Crumlin Road, Belfast, at 11.30am on Wednesday 11th October 2000. The centre, which will take a year to complete, will be home to a comprehensive range of community activities and a number of community businesses, including a 34 place Day Care facility. This innovative approach has been the result of a collaborative process between key funding agencies working in co-operation with the Vine Centre.
The International Fund for Ireland is the major funder with support coming from the European Peace and Reconciliation Fund; Belfast Regeneration Office; Department of Education; Belfast City Council, Voluntary Activity Unit; Belfast European Partnership Board; and the NI Housing Executive.
The sod cutting will be carried out by Mrs Olive Marshall who was one of the original workers in the Centre when it started in 1970. She will be assisted by Presbyterian Moderator Dr Trevor Morrow and representatives from the various funding agencies.
Rev Dr Trevor Morrow said; "I am delighted to see an organisation with strong Presbyterian roots at the very heart of inner - city regeneration."
Lynda Gibson, Director of the Vine Centre, and a full time deaconess of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said; "Today heralds a major step in the ongoing regeneration of the Crumlin Road area. The new Vine Centre is not just about physical regeneration, it is about people, it is about people. It is about re-building a community through the resourcing of individuals. A community that is confident and capable, not only of benefitting from emerging opportunities, but also of engaging with others."
Issued by Martin McNeely, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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