Chris Bowyer Presnts an Easter Egg prize at a recent event.

The Ballykeel 1 Moving Forward Together community group in Ballymena has been providing residents of their estate with activities and projects for almost ten years now, and while it’s not always been easy, they’ve definitely learned some lessons over the years!

The group has recently secured a second large block of funding from the Big Lottery to continue its programme of events for another two years. Committee members Chris Bowyer and Rosemary McCrory sat down with us to share the secrets to their success.

Plan Ahead & Don’t Get Burned Out

“Getting this funding has given us a new lease of life!” Rosemary exclaimed. “You do get days when you’re tired, and you think, maybe I should put my energy into something else. You know, I want to give up, or I don’t know what the long-term future is for the group...we all go through stages like that. But this gave us a wee extra buzz - something to look forward to!”

“We are a small group, but we’re proactive!” says Chris. Planning out a programme of events over several years has been key to not getting burned out.

Rosemary (left) at a Christmas event the group held last year.

The group has an incredible lineup of activities planned for all ages over the coming years, as well as managing their ongoing community “Chatty Café” (which was recently featured on BBC news!), but the pair say they have learned to manage the schedule so they don’t take on more than they can handle, although the temptation to always do more is clearly there!

Get Support and Ask for Help

“You have to listen to your community and hear what they’re telling you first and foremost,” says Rosemary. “But I think relationships and working with other people is so important. You can’t do it all on your own.”

“The likes of Supporting Communities, our CDO’s Marie-Louise and Gillian Forrest, have just been a great support to this group over the years. It’s good for us to know they’re there at the end of the phone. We might not need them all the time, but when we do, we can just call.”

“Marie-Louise was very helpful and supportive with this recent funding application. The teamwork there was as important as the volunteers turning up to help out for the activities.”

Chris and Rosemary also have a very good relationship with their funders, particularly the Lottery, the Council, Halifax, and the Housing Executive, all of which they were quick to acknowledge. They aren’t shy about going back to ask for changes to the project as needed and keeping them informed about their progress.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Rosemary and Chris certainly make a great team. They recognise their different strengths and complement each other well.

“I’m pretty new to community work”, says Rosemary. “Chris has been doing it for a long time! I have a lot of learning to do in relation to applications and funding. Chris has the experience, but it’s getting it all down on paper where I can really help.”

“You always need people with different strengths to come together. Rosie is fantastic at IT and at organising me!” says Chris.

“We’ve been working together for a year and haven’t had cross words yet,” Rosie laughs.

Chris says he can always call on a variety of people to pitch in during specific events or activities, but the running of the group is down to just a handful of folks who are passionate and believe in what they are doing.

A trip the group organised for residents to the Doagh Famine Village.

Another aspect of teamwork that Rosemary is keen to explore is making better use of a local umbrella group, the Ballymena South Cluster, which is made up of about twelve area groups. She says the groups are starting to work together a bit more, and she’d like to move that along.

“There are some projects that maybe Ballykeel1 would like to do, but we don’t have the manpower to do it. Maybe collectively, we can!”

Finally, Say Thank You!

The group is using some of its new funding to throw a celebration event marking its 10th anniversary and thanking all the volunteers who have been a part of it.

The idea started last year when they had an underspend due to having to close their café while the community centre was renovated.

The Old oak tree - a popual meeting point in the area and symbol of the group grows strong in the community Garden

They approached the Lottery and asked if they could use the money to hold a volunteer recognition event, which turned into a summer banquet for not just Ballykeel 1 but included all the groups in the area who have come together to support various events and activities and to collaborate on more expansive projects.

“It was a really enjoyable day, a celebration of volunteers and our local area. We invited all the local community groups, and it was such a success!” remarked Rosie. “We thought we should keep it going every year because it’s not very often anybody says, ‘thank you’ or ‘you’re doing a great job’ to volunteers.”

Check out some of the fantastic work they are doing on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ballykeel1MFCG