JUDGING took place on Wednesday for the 2023 Aisling Awards in the category of Community Building, sponsored by the Movie House.
Judges included Andersonstown News journalist Joe McCann, Movie House Managing Director Michael McAdam and Belfast City Councillor Geraldine McAteer.
Visiting four organisations who have displayed exemplary credentials in the role of community building the judges visited:
- Sailortown Regeneration at St Joseph's in Sailortown and learned in depth about the long community campaign to retain the historic church and their plans to bring back Sailortown – once a community of over 5,000 – back as a fully viable, modern city centre community.
- Hosford Homeless Project at East Belfast Mission where they learned about their revolutionary programme for tackling homelessness including their state-of-the-art hostel as well as their programmes which have helped hundreds of homeless people get back on their feet through finding housing, job training and developing a cast iron sense of community.
- Duncairn Community Partnership in North Belfast -and seeing their years of work which have literally brought down barriers at North Belfast's most difficult interfaces and building successful community programmes through cross-community efforts.
- St Comgalls on Falls Road where they learned about the 20 year battle to develop the site which has just been built last year and seeing their current work transforming the site into a fully functioning community enterprise with plans for an interactive museum on the Falls Road.
The winner will be announced at the 27th Aisling Awards on November 24.
