Clanrye Abbey Developments a Newry based charity this afternoon presented a cheque for £10,000 to Newry 2020 to assist with its Feasibility Study into the provision of a Newry City Park at the Albert Basin.

The charity which was founded in 1986 and reconstituted in 2016, and has carried out significant charitable work to improve the built fabric of Newry for community use, announced a new £200K Community Fund to assist local community groups and organisations across the city

As well as Newry 2020, Newry First Presbyterian (Non Subscribing) Church and Newry Rugby Club also received presentations of £11,285 and £10,000 respectively.

Newry 2020 has long been campaigning for a 15 Acre City Park at the Albert Basin in Newry. See www.albertbasinpark.org for more information

Speaking at the launch of the Clanrye Abbey Developments Community Fund, Chair of the charity, Michael Savage, said: “We are delighted to support these three very deserving local projects. The mission statement of Clanrye Abbey Developments is: ‘To assist in improving the local built environment to enhance the community and social fabric of the Greater Newry City Area.’ These three projects are reflective of the type of schemes that Clanrye Abbey Developments wants to support in the years ahead.”

Clanrye Abbey Developments presented a cheque for £10,000 to Newry 2020  to assist with its Feasibility Study into the provision of a Newry City Park at the Albert Basin. Michael Savage, left, Chair, Clanrye Abbey Developments is pictured presenting the cheque to Brian Cleland, Chair, Newry 2020 while looking on are Clanrye Abbey Developments Board Members, from left: Jane Magill, Secretary; Ciara Blaney, Director; Brendan Jackson, Treasurer and Peter McEvoy, Director. Photograph: Columba O'Hare
Clanrye Abbey Developments presented a cheque for £10,000 to Newry 2020 to assist with its Feasibility Study into the provision of a Newry City Park at the Albert Basin. Michael Savage, left, Chair, Clanrye Abbey Developments is pictured presenting the cheque to Brian Cleland, Chair, Newry 2020 while looking on are Clanrye Abbey Developments Board Members, from left: Jane Magill, Secretary; Ciara Blaney, Director; Brendan Jackson, Treasurer and Peter McEvoy, Director. Photograph: Columba O'Hare

 Mr Savage enthused: “As well as presenting cheques relating to historical applications to the charity for funding, we are also launching the Clanrye Abbey Developments Community Fund. Today we are putting out a call for organisations and groups to apply for funding from a pot of upwards of £200,000 to assist projects aimed at improving the social fabric of the Greater Newry City area through enhancing the local built environment and we would encourage all organisations who feel they meet the criteria to apply for funding.”

The newly reconstituted Clanrye Abbey Developments is a charity registered with the Charities Commission and run by a local voluntary Board of Directors. The Board members are Michael Savage, Chair; Jane Magill, Secretary; Brendan Jackson, Treasurer; Ciara Aiken; Frank Feely and Peter McEvoy.

Clanrye Abbey Developments has launched a new website to assist local groups to apply for the funding as Secretary Jane Magill explained: “The new website www.clanryeabbeydevelopments.co.uk will provide all the necessary information community groups and organisations across the greater Newry City area need to apply for funding in this latest call.

“We have received initial requests for funding in recent months from a number of organisations and we would now ask them to engage in the application process and we will access their application over the coming weeks and months.”

The Charity’s Treasurer Brendan Jackson outlined how the new fund will be tiered. He said: “The fund we are announcing today has three tiers or funding levels. Tier 1 offers funding of between £500 to £2,000 and is not subject to the match funding criteria which the other two tiers are. Tier 2 offers funding of between £2,000 and £10,000 and Tier 3 offers funding of between £10,000 and £20,000. The charity will only consider funding a maximum of three projects at Tier 3 level in this call due to the limited funds available.

“The application form for the Clanrye Abbey Developments Community Fund and guidance notes can be downloaded from the charity’s website www.clanryeabbeydevelopments.co.uk. The process will involve scoring the applications and those groups and organisations that score highest will be more likely to be successful .”

The closing date for applications to The Clanrye Abbey Developments Community Fund is Thursday, August 31st, 2017.

For projects to be eligible they must take place between 1st September, 2017 and 31st August, 2018. Clanrye Abbey Developments will not accept retrospective applications (i.e. applications seeking funding for projects already started prior to 1st July, 2017).

Applications must be delivered by 4pm on Thursday 31st August 2017 to Clanrye Abbey Developments Ltd., c/o Daly Park Chartered Accountants, Trevor Hill, Newry. 

For further information visit www.clanryeabbeydevelopments.co.uk