The Portaferry Public Realm Scheme is supporting the local community through the donation of wood to Portaferry Men’s Shed and through educational visits for schoolchildren.
As the Scheme nears the completion of its third phase, members of the Men’s Shed have been grateful recipients of the wooden crates that were used to transport materials to Portaferry. The group has created a variety of useful products using the donated crates, including artistic signage and a large train that has captured the imagination of local children.
Those children include the Year 6 students from St. Mary’s Primary School who enjoyed an educational visit to Market Square that was hosted by the appointed contractors for the works, Northstone Ltd. They gave the students an insight into the project before providing them with safety equipment ahead of some hands-on experience of laying cobbles and mixing up a batch of tarmacadam.
The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Alistair Cathcart, said:
“The students from St. Mary’s Primary School were full of inquisitive enthusiasm and learned a lot from their educational visit, especially when they each laid a cobble, while the Portaferry Men’s Shed have been able to repurpose and reuse the wooden crates that were used to deliver materials for the Scheme. I am delighted to see the local community getting involved in this excellent scheme that will help to revitalise and benefit everyone who lives, works or visits Portaferry.”
Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons MLA, said:
“I am delighted to see the positive impact this project is having on people of all ages in Portaferry, and it reinforces the need for improved social value across all projects, wherever possible. I am also pleased to see the excellent progress being made on the delivery of the Portaferry Public Realm Project itself, it will have a truly transformative impact on Portaferry.”
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Minister Andrew Muir MLA, said:
“My Department through the Covid Recovery Small Settlements Regeneration Programme continues to work in partnership across central and local government to deliver partnership projects which are helping to regenerate rural villages and town centres. I am delighted to hear of this positive, added value experience developed with the contractors, the Men’s Shed Group, St Mary’s Primary School, and the local community.”
Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, said:
“This project is a great example of the excellent added social value that schemes such as the Covid Recovery Small Settlements Regeneration Programme (SSRP) can have in our local communities. I am delighted to hear that this donation to the local men’s shed has been put to good use and repurposed and that local schoolchildren from St. Mary’s Primary School have been able to play a small part in the progression of this important public realm scheme.”
The Portaferry Public Realm Scheme is funded under the Covid Recovery Small Settlements Regeneration Programme (SSRP) with additional funding from Ards and North Down Borough Council. The SSRP is a collaborative approach, with contributions from the Department for Communities, Department for Infrastructure, and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
The project will deliver environmental improvements to the core of Portaferry and support the regeneration of the local area with upgrades across several areas including Market Square, Castle Street, Ferry Street, High Street and Meeting House Street. The works include the widening of footpaths, improved street lighting, better pedestrian connectivity and a redesign of the car park within Market Square to create a usable civic space.
The Scheme commenced in October 2023 and is on schedule to complete later this year, marking a significant £2m investment in Portaferry. For more information, visit ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/portaferrypublicrealm.
