New Three Year Cushendun Project

Beautiful Cushendun!

For many years, the National Trust has been the major landowner in the picturesque village of Cushendun in County Antrim. Their portfolio includes many local amenities, shops and residential accommodation within the village. It is fair to say that over the years, the Trust’s relationship with the local community in Cushendun has been somewhat turbulent with relations coming under strain at times. The National Trust realised that they needed a respected independent intermediary to help them re-engage positively with local stakeholders and the community in general.

The National Trust came to Supporting Communities due to our well respected track record and our 40 years of experience in community development to help them to build bridges and foster new and dynamic links with the community. In a new project that is the first of its kind anywhere in the UK, we aim to build consensus and relationships with residents in Cushendun so that they feel that they have a voice and a part to play in the future of the village.

The National Trust wants to become a trusted partner in the village and the surrounding area. By the end of the three year project period, our goal is that the community will feel empowered to work with the National Trust. At the same time, we will have supported the Trust to develop proactive and participative approaches to identifying issues and solving problems in Cushendun in partnership with the local community. As an independent charity, we are well placed to lead on this work and to provide an open and transparent process for everyone involved.

Conor Flanagan, Christine McNeill and Colm McDaid

We were delighted to appoint Cushendun native, Christine McNeill, as our newest Community Development Officer to join the Supporting Communities Staff Team and to lead the project. Christine is based in Glenmona House, a National Trust property in the village.

“Being from Cushendun myself, I understand the relationship the National Trust has with the community here. I applied for this job because I saw it as a challenge, but also an opportunity to make the changes we need and to be involved in a project that has never happened before”, said Christine. “I am very passionate about the area I live in and this is an exciting opportunity to work alongside the community and to empower and support them around issues which they feel are important.”

Since taking up the new post, Christine has begun to forge good working relationships with many groups, stakeholders and residents in the village. Several new projects are currently being planned in conjunction with the Trust, all designed to foster and grow good relations between all the stakeholders in Cushendun and the National Trust.

Glenmona House, Cushendun

One of Christine’s key roles is to develop Glenmona House into a thriving hub for community activity and to explore the potential of various ideas including locally-driven social enterprise projects. Christine continues to engage with all groups in the village and is very keen to listen to their views and ideas for the future. To this end, we are conducting an area-wide survey and are considering establishing a new Inter-Agency Forum to be held on a regular basis allowing all interested groups and organisations, including the National Trust, to come together to address issues of concern, share good practice and discuss ideas and plans for the village.

This new three-year project with the National Trust is a great opportunity for all stakeholders to come together with one main goal in mind; to foster positive partnership working to make Cushendun a better place to live for the whole community. At Supporting Communities, we realise that anything good takes hard work and time but we are delighted to be working with the National Trust and the local community in Cushendun to take on this challenge together.