Clanrye Group to lead €7.3 million cross-border social prescribing project
A €7.3 million cross-border project led by Clanrye Group is set to provide a significant boost to the health and wellbeing of thousands of people across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. The project, REACH, has been formally launched at the Ballymascanlon Hotel, Dundalk.
REACH has been designed to support approximately 7,500 participants, including at least 3,000 families, through a new social prescribing initiative aimed at improving mental health, strengthening family wellbeing, promoting social inclusion and reducing health inequalities.
Each participant will be allocated a Social Prescriber who will work with them to identify their needs, develop a personalised action plan and connect them to appropriate supports. Participants may also receive support from a Community Connector, who will help them access local activities, services, peer support opportunities and community networks to achieve their goals and improve their wellbeing.
REACH is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). More than €7.3 million has been awarded to the project through the Collaborative Health and Social Care Investment Area of PEACEPLUS.
Led by Clanrye Group in partnership with Teach na nDaoine Family Resource Centre, Monaghan, and County Down Rural Community Network (CDRCN), REACH will operate across the Southern and South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust areas and the North-East Border Region, including Counties Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.
The project will not only support adults but also children and wider families experiencing social, physical, mental or emotional wellbeing challenges connecting them with practical, non-clinical support in their communities.
It is set up to help people facing social isolation, addiction, trauma, bereavement, caring responsibilities, poverty, unemployment, depression and anxiety. REACH will take a whole-family approach, recognising that the same circumstances can affect different family members in different ways.
Minister of State with Responsibility for Mental Health Mary Butler TD said: “Strengthening mental health supports for children and young people, expanding early intervention services, and ensuring families can access help in their own communities are key priorities for Government.
“I am very pleased to mark the launch of the REACH Project through the PEACEPLUS programme, which reflects our shared commitment to improving wellbeing and supporting children to thrive.
“Through REACH, children and families across Northern Ireland and the border counties will be connected with evidence-informed, community-based supports that address their social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing needs.
“By intervening early and providing supports closer to home, this innovative programme has the potential to make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of children, young people and families, while helping to build stronger and more resilient communities.”
Health Minister Robbie Butler MLA said: “As Health Minister, I am particularly pleased to support initiatives like REACH that focus on improving mental health, strengthening family wellbeing, promoting social inclusion, and reducing health inequalities.
“These approaches not only improve outcomes for individuals and families but also contribute to healthier and more resilient communities for the future.
“We know that good health and wellbeing are shaped by more than clinical services. Issues such as isolation, poverty, caring responsibilities, trauma, bereavement, addiction, unemployment, and poor mental health can affect individuals and families in complex and interconnected ways and that timely support within local communities can make a profound difference to people’s lives.
“REACH is further distinguished by its focus on people, families, and communities on a cross-border collaborative basis, with project partners, the Departments of Health in Northern Ireland and Ireland and a wide range of stakeholders keen to address shared challenges.
“This initiative fully aligns with the ethos and intent of my Department’s Neighbourhood Model of Health and Wellbeing, which will see communities across Northern Ireland supported to live healthier, more independent lives, with services delivered in partnership at neighbourhood level and focused on access, earlier intervention, prevention and person-centred care.
“I therefore congratulate everyone who has played a role in securing this investment and bringing the project to this stage and pay tribute to all those organisations and individuals who will contribute to its success over the coming years.”
SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “REACH is an excellent example of the practical benefits that cross-border co-operation can deliver for people and families.
“Through more than €7.3 million of PEACEPLUS funding, the project will connect 7,500 people with community-based support tailored to their individual circumstances.
“Its whole-family approach recognises that challenges such as isolation, bereavement, poverty and anxiety can affect people in different ways. By bringing health and social care services together with community organisations, REACH will help improve wellbeing, reduce inequalities and strengthen local support networks.”
Liam Devine, CEO of Clanrye Group, said: “REACH represents a significant investment in the health and wellbeing of people and communities across this region.
“Social prescribing starts with the person and what is happening in their life. Someone may go to their GP because they are anxious or struggling with their mental health, but behind that could be isolation, unemployment, financial pressures, caring responsibilities or difficulties within the family.
“REACH is about connecting that person or family with the right support in their community and addressing those underlying issues before they escalate.
“Through our existing work, we already see the difference that practical, community-based support can make. REACH gives us the opportunity to build on that approach on a much greater scale, working with partners on both sides of the border to support thousands of people and families.”
Nicholas McCrickard, Manager of County Down Rural Community Network (CDRCN), said: “We are delighted to be a partner in REACH. People living in rural areas can face real barriers to getting support, whether that is distance, poor transport or simply not knowing what is available.
“For someone who is isolated, caring for a family member or struggling with their mental health, those barriers can make a difficult situation much harder.
“REACH will allow us to bring practical, community-based support closer to people across County Down, working alongside the local groups and organisations that rural communities already know and trust.
“Being part of a cross-border partnership with Clanrye Group and Teach na nDaoine also means we can share learning and build on what works on both sides of the border, so that more people and families get the right help at the right time.”
The project will also strengthen collaboration between health and social care services and the community and voluntary sector, helping to create more joined-up and preventative approaches to health and wellbeing.
REACH will also create a significant number of new jobs across the region, with around 50 posts to be recruited across the partnership.
The investment will take Clanrye Group’s workforce beyond 200 employees, strengthening the organisation’s role as a major community sector employer in Newry, Mourne and Down and the wider border region.
PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.
The project will run until June 2029 and represents a total investment of €7,390,760.
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About social prescribing: Social prescribing connects people with practical, non-clinical support in their own community, such as befriending, peer support, physical activity, family support, or help with money, housing or employment worries. It works alongside medical care by addressing the wider circumstances that affect a person’s health and wellbeing.
About Clanrye Group: Clanrye Group is a social enterprise and community organisation based in Newry, delivering education, training, employability, health and wellbeing and community support services across Northern Ireland and the border region.
Clanrye Group works in partnership with government departments, health and social care trusts, councils and the community and voluntary sector to reduce inequality and improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities.
About PEACEPLUS: PEACEPLUS is a cross-border funding Programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland and has a total value of €1.14 billion.
The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is a North South Body with the statutory remit for managing EU funding programmes within Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.
About the project partners: Teach na nDaoine Family Resource Centre, Monaghan provides family support, community development and wellbeing services across County Monaghan and the border counties. County Down Rural Community Network (CDRCN) supports rural communities across County Down through community development, health and wellbeing and capacity-building programmes.
Associated partners: REACH will be delivered with the support of an extensive network of associated partners including The Resurgam Trust, Peninsula Healthy Living Partnership, Poleglass Community Association, Kilkeel Development Association, Rural Health Partnership, Clones Family Resource Centre, Teach Oscail Family Resource Centre, Focus/Killeshandra Family Resource Centre, Connect Family Resource Centre, Verve Healthy Living Network, STEP (South Tyrone Empowerment Programme), Laurencetown, Lenaderg and Tullylish Community Association (LLTCA) and West Armagh Consortium.
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