GRACE Women’s Development Ltd have been a vital part of the Ardoyne community since 1984, providing a safe, secure and nurturing environment for women and their families for social activity, networking and learning.
In December 2020, the Grace Family Centre opened its doors during the height of the Covid pandemic with a vision of an inclusive family hub at the heart of the community, providing the best in health, wellbeing and life chances for women and girls.
The building in Alliance Avenue is home to a number of services, including a community café, Blossom Day Care childcare service, a multi-purpose hall for hire and programmes such as family support, counselling, therapy, befriending and training workshops and programmes.
As with many organisations, the Covid pandemic hit Grace Family Centre hard with dramatic changes to everything that they could offer and provide to the local community.
Claire Shields, a Family Support Worker who runs the ‘Wings of Hope’ Support Group, said the service was affected badly by the pandemic.
“I myself have two children with autism and I know how much Covid impacted," said Claire.
“Speech and language therapy sessions were forced to go on to Zoom which was very hard to do with kids.
“Parents felt a lack of routine for children resulted in sleep and behavioural issues. Appointments changed to Zoom calls, including physio. Repite also stopped, which is key for parents.
“Services are slowly opening up again but the support network is not fully back yet. Parents are still relying on phone and Zoom calls.
“We used to meet every Tuesday with a coffee morning for parents but we have to keep numbers low now.
“Testing children and taking temperature checks was tough on children too, especially those with autism. They just aren’t used to it and don’t understand why we have to do it.”
Fionnuala Stanton, Young Women’s Support Worker, said she has noticed the mental and physical impact of lockdown and isolation.
“I work with girls and young women from 14 years old and above,” she added.
“The mental health impact has been massive on the young girls and women.
“Physically, I think social media is a big thing now for young women. Women are seeing unrealistic body images on social media and trying to copy it.
“Online learning at school has set some people back. They have lost that support of face-to-face learning, which is key for GCSE and A-Level students.
“I think a lot of them have been impacted by the lockdowns and not seeing their friends and family as much.
“We were contacted by a lot of parents asking us to run a homework club. Home schooling was so tough for some parents, they just couldn’t cope with it. We are hoping to have something up and running soon.”
With Covid restrictions starting to ease, the centre is hoping to open up more fully to the local community.
Sally Smyth, Centre Manager, is looking forward to the coming months with quiet optimism that Grace Family Centre can fulfil its potential as a community-led facility.
“Because of Covid, we have been quieter than normal, we have had to reduce the number of people coming into the building,” she explained.
“We were running essential skills class up to Christmas. Unfortunately we had to pull the IT class because only one person turned up. People were concerned about the new variant.
“We need to be sustainable. I can get all the money in the world for programmes but it is more difficult getting staff to run the programmes.
“The anxiety levels have gone way up, especially amongst the older people. We hold a weekly crochet class every Thursday.
“That social isolation has really affected people. People need to get out of the house, getting out is a lifeline.
“The first time they came back it was great to hear the giggles of them down the corridor.
“In terms of other issues, we saw a big increase in local people needing to access the food banks. Rising energy costs are crippling families.
“I think we have done pretty well since opening in December 2020. We have our two units and some offices leased out.
“Our next stage will be a Community Review Group set up which will offer local people a say in what we do here. Community-leading is key to what we do here at Grace Family Centre.
“Funding and sustainability is key for community development like ourselves. We want this building to be used as much as possible.”
Grace Family Centre
77-95 Alliance Avenue
Belfast
BT14 7PJ
Tel: 028 9074 3536
Email: info@gracebelfast.com
