Attwood provides funding boost for youth in Enniskillen

Social Development Minister Alex Attwood has provided funding of £3,675 for a summer activity programme for young people living in the Enniskillen area.

The programme consisted of multi-sports activities, including soccer, basketball, tri-golf, outdoor activities at canoe island and badminton, which were organised and managed by Fermanagh District Council. Arts and crafts activities were also provided.

Alex Attwood said: “This project provided real and significant benefits to young people in the Enniskillen Neighbourhood Renewal Area. Investing time, resources and money is the only way we can grow our communities. Our communities are the lifeblood of our towns and cities and the young people in them need to be nurtured for the future.

“It is important to ensure that people of all ages are supported through Neighbourhood Renewal initiatives. By contributing to this project my Department is demonstrating its commitment to improving the quality of life for young people living in the Enniskillen area.”

The summer programme was organised in response to needs identified by the local community in the Enniskillen Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan. The plan outlines the importance of increasing the quality of youth provision, and presenting a more positive image of young people and their potential through investment in youth activities.

The total amount of money spent on Neighbourhood Renewal to date in Enniskillen is over £780,000.

Notes to editors:

1. The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy ‘People and Place’ was published in June 2003 to close the gap between the quality of life for people in the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of society. The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy has four interlinking strategic objectives.
   - Community Renewal – to develop confident communities that are able and committed to improving the quality of life in their areas.
   - Economic Renewal – to develop economic activity in the most deprived neighbourhoods and connect them to the wider urban economy.
   - Social Renewal – to improve social conditions for the people who live in the most deprived neighbourhoods through better co-ordinated public services and the creation of safer environments.
   - Physical Renewal – to help create attractive, safe and sustainable environments in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
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