Minister opens £1.25m community centre

Secretary of State Paul Murphy, joined by the former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has carried out an official sod-cutting ceremony for a new £1.25 million community centre in Lurgan.

Mr Murphy paid tribute to the work of the Shankill Parish Caring Association, the group behind the new Jethro Centre Project.

Highlighting the benefits the development of such projects can bring to local communities, the Minister said: “The Jethro Centre is a very ambitious and challenging project. It will bring together a wide range of services and activities to improve the skills and competencies of the local community to enhance their employability and to develop community self-confidence and capability.

“It is by supporting projects like Jethro that we can begin to move away from relationships based on mistrust to those rooted in mutual respect and recognition - trust is the essence of reconciliation”.

The Secretary of State welcomed the former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, who also participated in the ceremony which was attended by many local community representatives.

Shankill Parish Caring Association (SPCA) is an independent charitable organisation associated with Shankill Church – the largest Church of Ireland parish in Ireland in terms of numbers of parishioners.

The association, which has been in operation in the Brownlow Hall, a Church of Ireland church hall, in Lurgan since 1992, offers a range of activities for all the local community including senior citizens, families, disabled groups and young people.

(MB/GMCG)