COLIN Neighbourhood Partnership (CNP) is an award-winning Neighbourhood Renewal organisation based in the Colin area of West Belfast. The Partnership consists of local people and organisations, elected and community representatives, and government bodies. 

Set up in 2004, CNP is celebrating 20 years of improving the lives of people in the Colin area, which includes Twinbrook, Poleglass, Lagmore and Mount Eagles.

In the first of a four-week feature, the Andersonstown News looks at the origins of CNP.

CNP was set up by local people living and working in the Colin area who wanted to see positive change in their community.

The foundations of what was to be Colin Neighbourhood Partnership can be traced back to the early 1980s.

Current Manager of CNP, Annie Armstrong moved to Twinbrook in 1974 and became a community worker in 1981.

At the 1993 Northern Ireland local elections, she was elected for Sinn Féin to represent Dunmurry Cross on Lisburn City Council. 

Reflecting on her early days in the area, Annie said: “1981 was a difficult year for Twinbrook with the Hunger Strike and the fact Bobby Sands lived in Twinbrook. It was a sad and worrying time. People were out on the streets every night praying and saying the rosary,” she explained.

“Twinbrook Tenants and Community Association were funded by the government to run advice centres. The funding was then withdrawn and the advice centres were closed which people were dependent on.

“I was working part-time and I decided to do a bit of voluntary work. We opened the advice centre and opened it for about four or five hours a day. It was an essential service for people.

“We became the voice for the community, even more so as funding and services disappeared due to Lisburn City Council.

“The Department for Social Development at the time then started talking about Neighbourhood Renewal and we secured some funding to do a major community-based consultation on what was needed.

"Colin Neighbourhood Initiative was then set up to deliver on this plan that the community had signed up for, with the help of all community groups, statutory agencies and government departments.”

In 2004, Colin Neighbourhood Partnership was officially formed and has been the driving force behind the transformation of the Colin area ever since. 

Key figures in those early days included Ciaran Sheehan, the first chairperson of CNP, the late Sinn Féin councillor Michael Ferguson and Umberto Scappaticci, who is the current Community Development Officer to name but a few.

Annie was also a board member and soon appointed as manager of CNP.

"Twenty years ago, we were also under Lisburn City Council and we really had to fight for everything," continued Annie.

"I remember having to argue with them to get the bins emptied. There were all sorts of excuses about being under threat. I remember saying to them that we will go out with you and get the bins emptied.

"Everything was a battle. The facilities for people was dreadful. There was a tiny park and small community centre in Twinbrook. There was nothing in Poleglass and Lagmore was only starting up.

"The idea was to form a partnership for the community. There was a lot of community groups in the area but they weren’t working together.

"Everyone was competing against each other for funding instead of coming together. We wanted to bring everyone together to work for the best interests of the Colin area.

“There needed to be some sort of forum, which would involve statutory agencies, government departments and others. 

"The area was a lot different to what it is now. There was a huge issue with car crime, a lot of health inequalities and high levels of unemployment.

"80 per cent of children on the child protection register in the South Eastern Health Trust lived in the Colin area.

"We set up different sub groups such as health, community safety, environmental, education and economic development.

"We started off with a board and then secured funding for four community development posts in the organisation. We also had a marketing post filled.

"It was all local people who wanted to make a difference to the local community."

One of the first initiatives set up in 2006 was Colin Care- providing domiciliary care services for the Belfast Trust and the South Eastern Trust.

"Domiciliary care was very basic. We approached South Eastern Trust and informed them of our intention to set up a company," added Annie.

"We got the chance to deliver it. At one time, we employed 109 people.

"We paid them a rate that we thought was for and provided uniforms and other benefits for them. It was transferred to the Belfast Trust just before COVID."

Today, CNP continues to work to address issues that affect people living in the Colin area.

CNP provides a range of health and wellbeing initiatives including family support, parenting programmes, suicide prevention, services for older people and young people with disabilities, drug and alcohol assistance, and mental health support.

"The reasons why CNP was set up are the same reasons why we work hard everyday today- for the better of the Colin community and the people who live here," added Annie.

"There is still so much for us to achieve. I can’t believe it has been 20 years.

"There is a real sense of community in the Colin area and I have no doubt CNP has played a vital role in achieving that."

In part two next week, we will look more closely at the work of CNP