Successful Project To Improve Traveller Health And Wellbeing

A project to improve the health and wellbeing of the Traveller community and improve relations with settled communities has been successfully completed by Belfast City Council and partners.

The PEACE IV Traveller Support project, delivered by the council in partnership with Family Ulster genealogy services, the Heart Project, and Falls Women's Centre has come to a close with the completion of the final workshop and exhibition focusing on health and wellbeing.

The project was part of Belfast's PEACE IV Action Plan work financed through the European Union and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding for the Action Plan has been provided by The Executive Office and the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The purpose of the Traveller Support project was to bring together people of all ages and backgrounds from the Traveller and settled communities in Belfast to create connections.

As well as the health and wellbeing workshop series, other co-designed workshops and exhibitions looked at exploring family history and empowering young women, and all were a means to explore cultural diversity, heritage and identity among traveller and settled communities.

After a first genealogy exhibition in April this year showcasing designed artworks and collected documents, the empowering young women and health and wellbeing workshops completed with their exhibitions unveiled in October. The genealogy artworks were also on public display at 2 Royal Avenue during the summer.

Community events were also held as part of the project with an Easter Family Fun Day at Whiterock Leisure Centre, a 'Circus Comes To Town' event at Olympia Leisure Centre, a Vintage Tea Dance at 2 Royal Avenue in the city centre. A 'Let's Do Lunch' event also took place as part of the Féile an Phobail festival.

Councillor John Kyle, Chair of the council's Shared City Partnership, said: "The Traveller Support Project's aim, under the PEACE IV theme of Building Positive Relations, was to promote inclusion, understanding and respect for diversity across communities. This contributes to the council's Belfast Agenda which aims to build a shared city for us all by placing good relations at its core. The exhibition artworks have been so creative and have shown the energy and engagement across the project. We would like to thank all the participants and organisations that have been involved."