Ballymacash residents fought for 40 years to establish a proper community centre in their area after years of working out of a small one bedroom flat.
Now after being open for four years the Ballymacash Community Centre has become a vital hub for the area that offers everything from meals on wheels for the vulnerable and school breakfast clubs to gardening courses and cultural nights.
It is even available for weddings, birthday parties and funerals.
Read more: Derriaghy Primary School: Councillor criticises "lack of focus" on development plans
Speaking to Belfast Live, centre manager Laura Turner said that its creation was the accumulation of years of hard work by local volunteers who were determined to bring much needed facilities to Ballymacash and promote the positive work being done there.
She says that she moved to the area around 30 years ago after spending her childhood moving from place to place due to her family's involvement with the military.
After moving onto the estate with her husband 20 years ago, she says she instantly fell in love with the people and community.
Laura said: "When I came to Ballymacash I immediately knew that I was home and it has been wonderful watching the area grow over the years as people come together to promote all of the positive work taking place here.
"The community association here used to be run from a one room flat which would have done everything from residents meetings and outreach sessions to coffee mornings and they were always pushing hard to get somewhere that was appropriate for the work it was doing.
"Thankfully after years of hard work by the community we were able to establish this amazing facility here in the heart of Ballymacash that has become a hub of activity every night of the week and we have a tremendous team of volunteers who work tirelessly to keep everything going."
Part of the work that takes place at the Ballymacash Community Centre is about supporting those living in the area, particularly young people, the elderly and those who are vulnerable, with this becoming more important than ever during the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis.
Laura continued: "The vast majority of families living in Ballymacash are in work and doing their utmost to provide for them, but even then in recent years they have found themselves struggling as wages are just not going far enough to cope with the constant rising costs.
"We also have elderly and vulnerable residents who have begun finding it difficult and we have been looking at a number of different ways in which we are able to give them a bit of support.
"Our meals on wheels programme, which provides over 100 meals every week, was established as a six week pilot during the pandemic but became such an important project that it has continued and has provided much needed support to our residents.
"The school breakfast club, which is open to children of all ages, was also started as a six week pilot and has proven to be very successful. This is not just by giving families a bit of help with their children in the morning, but it is bringing young people together and there is always a great atmosphere here every morning.
"We are lucky that we are in a community that cares and looks out for one another."
Alongside the support work that takes place at the centre, there is also a host of different projects that take place throughout the year, with a popular gardening club that brings young and old together and a variety of different cultural events.
It also has a strong focus on inclusion with the centre being used to bring different communities together.
Laura said: "The best part about having this centre is being able to bring people together from all walks of life.
"We run gardening projects where young people work side by side with their older generations to grow fresh food for the community and we have had some tremendous events here with everything from social bingo nights to weddings.
"Our cultural nights have been a great success and have helped people to learn the history of where they are from while also having a brilliant time.
"We are proud that this has become a place that brings people together and we hope that in the future we can expand the centre so we are able to provide even more for the people of Ballymacash."
READ NEXT:
Lisburn car parking concerns raised as railway overhaul will cut free spaces
Belfast Christmas Market ranked one of best in UK by top travel magazine
First look inside Belfast Christmas Market as it opens to public
Lisburn and Castlereagh Council agrees £50,000 spend for King Charles coronation
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
