A new home, and a new chapter for NWCN

4 Jun

We’ve got the keys; learned and forgotten how to set the alarm; the houseplants survived the journey with minimal shock; and we’re about 95 percent unpacked.

A woman stands speaking in front of a group of attentive listeners, who are sitting around round tables, in a brightly lit room with historic features.

North West Community Network has moved into St Columb’s Hall, ‘the People’s Hall’, Derry’s original civic centre. We’ve called a few places ‘home’ over the years, and each one has represented a distinct phase. This new one feels special.

The Hall is special in many ways. Built between 1886 and 1888, it was funded by local people to provide a safe, alcohol-free cultural and educational space for the city, under the direction of the St Columb’s Catholic Total Abstinence Society.¹ An Italianate-Gothic architectural jewel, the hall is one of three buildings in Derry at the very highest level of protected status—shared only by the Guildhall and the Austins building.

As a home to community theatre, a trailblazing art gallery, and the famous Derry Feis, the Hall has been a seedbed for Derry’s talent; through political meetings with historic figures, and concerts with the stars, the hall has a central role in our city’s civic history. St Columb’s Hall is now managed by a charitable trust, who are renovating the building and thinking expansively about its future.

Our interest was piqued by how the trust is so supportive of Derry’s minority ethnic communities,² which we felt dovetailed perfectly with our own work. As an organisation, North West Community Network sees community development as a holistic practice spanning cultural, civic and relational approaches, and in St Columb’s Hall Trust, we think we’ve found colleagues who share these values.

We opened our doors earlier this month for a housewarming celebration in the Hall’s Balcony Bar, and were thrilled by how many people turned out—your support really means a lot to us. Our manager, Roisin McLaughlin, took the opportunity to share some of our strategic plans for the years ahead, and I’m happy to make that plan available here as well.

We’re going to be leveraging this prime location, in the heart of Derry, to further our mission of helping communities overcome barriers to participation.

We look forward to telling you about what’s coming next—so keep an eye on your inboxes!