Downpatrick mental health charity gets two big boosts in a couple of days
Life Change Changes Lives (LCCL) has received two big boosts in the last few days.
The first was a very welcome donation from the organisers of the Blackwater High School 1981 and onwards reunion which was held in Murphy’s Bar in Downpatrick.
One of the past pupils and event organiser Lorna McCormick said: “The organisers decided to make it into a fundraiser for LCCL & Pop Up Art as they feel this organisation helps so many people offering counselling, walks, and creative art and on furniture up-cycling.
“The amount raised on the night in Murphys was £543.09 which is an amazing amount for which the charity is truly grateful.
“Overall everyone enjoyed a wonderful night talking over old times and we were glad to be able to raise much needed funds for LCCL & Pop Up Art.”
Ailish Teague, Operations Manager at LCCL said: “I an delighted that everyone had a great night at the reunion. We really appreciate their efforts in fundraising for LCCL.”
And LCCL was on a roll as they received news that they had been selected onto a prestigious IFI development programme.
Ailish Teague added: “Life Change Changes Lives (LCCL), a mental health charity based in Market Street in Downpatrick, is delighted to announce its selection for participation in the IFI-funded Discovery Programme, a significant opportunity designed to empower social enterprises across Ireland.
“We have been accepted on to the IFI DISCOVERY programme and LCCL will move up a gear in its management and operational performance making the group more efficient and effective in its role in providing mental health support in the community.
“This prestigious programme offers tailored training in critical areas such as Digitalisation & Financial Management, Income Generation & Revenue Growth, Strategic Partnerships and Alliances, and Cost Optimisation & Control.
“Participation in the Discovery Programme will enable LCCL to enhance its operational efficiency, strengthen financial sustainability, and foster strategic partnerships.”
Ailish added: “I will be attending the development training and I am looking forward to taking part in this amazing programme.”
This training will support LCCL in broadening its capacity to serve the community effectively and sustainably. Additionally, the programme’s focus on cross-border relationships and partnerships will facilitate collaboration and growth, fostering stronger community connections and resilience.
By equipping LCCL with these essential tools and insights, the Discovery Programme will significantly contribute to the organisation’s mission of driving meaningful change and supporting individuals through innovative, life-enhancing projects.
Building new connections between established Social Enterprises, around the shared social impact challenges faced, is the focus of an innovative new partnership programme that is being led by Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI) and Social Enterprise Northern Ireland (SENI).
The DISCOVERY Programme is a new collaborative two-year programme, developed by SERI and SENI, two organisations that represent the interests of communities that operate Social Enterprises north and south.
The innovative idea is being funded by the International Fund for Ireland, under its Communities in Partnership funding Programme, which supports meaningful cross-border partnerships, including ideas that create the conditions for the development of social enterprise and innovation.
The DISCOVERY Programme aims to connect and to support the leaders of Social Enterprises, as the key drivers of social impact and good community relations work north and south, the people who provide essential community services and are the backbone of communities on each side of the border.
The collaboration to deliver the programme is the first step in a new partnership between SERI and SENI, who have worked together, to design the programme, working in the collective and best interests of the social enterprise sector.
Speaking at the launch event, Paddy Harte, Chair of the International Fund for Ireland said: “We know that Social Enterprises are playing an increasingly important role contributing to the economic and social landscape.
“They operate much needed facilities, providing services, creating employment, working within disadvantaged communities and adding value to all aspects of community life.
“This IFI funding will provide the building blocks to help Social Enterprises manage and navigate the challenges around financial sustainability and help develop long-term viable social businesses that will benefit communities.
“The DISCOVERY Programme will establish a shared vision to unite communities rather than divide, working with Social Enterprises who are facing similar challenges and ultimately play an important role in building long-term cross-border connections.”
As Social Enterprises grow and develop over time, expanding their social impact, community leaders can find themselves running quite complex operations, similar to businesses, but where all surplus or profit generated is reinvested into the community.
Over time, the operators of Social Enterprises can encounter a whole different set of challenges from those when they first came together as a committee to start up their community group.
Colin Jess, CEO of Social Enterprise Northern Ireland (SENI) added: “We are already entrusted by the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland to deliver the Social Economy Work Programme and the DISCOVERY programme adds great value to the existing work we do on behalf of our SENI members.
“The new partnership with SERI, is we believe a key innovation for the sector in that the challenge of financial sustainability, of trading, of growing, of building revenue, of employing and retaining staff, these are challenges that every social enterprise contends with every day.
“That’s on top of the regular day-to-day work of delivering services of significant impact and benefit to the community.
“What we hope to achieve through the programme, is to support social enterprises to work through some of the key sustainability challenges that they face, while at the same time building new relationships that inspire further innovations across the sector in Northern Ireland.”
Just like businesses that operate in the private sector, this can require a complete different set of management tools, skills and techniques to sustain and grow the social enterprise.
The DISCOVERY programme is about understanding this challenge and working in support of communities over the course of the next two years to address it.
Speaking at the launch of the DISCOVERY programme, John Logue CEO of Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland said: “We are excited to launch the new DISCOVERY programme and to work in partnership with Social Enterprise Northern Ireland.
“Both of our organisations are working separately every day, each side of the border, in the best interests of our community of members, to develop policy, and to advocate for much needed funding.
“And it will help connect with Government and Political Leaders to raise awareness of each Social Enterprises work, their funding and development needs.
“Through the DISCOVERY programme, our motivation is really to practically support the operators of social enterprises, to help them to apply new digital tools, to enhance their financial management expertise, to help to grow and manage income, and to optimise and control costs.
“Theres also a great learning opportunity from the cross-border collaboration and that’s what we aim to facilitate, and that’s what the programmes about.”
The DISCOVERY programme will build new connections with social enterprises operating in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland.
24 social enterprises are taking part in the programme pilot and will benefit from an introduction to new skills and digital management tools, mentorship, training, a series of residentials designed around the sustainability theme, and from cross border exchanges as well as different conference events.
At the same time, the partners will be working on behalf of the social enterprise sector, to further build awareness of the significant social impact work that social enterprises do, and to advance and align social policy that’s in the interests of all social enterprise operators.
Social Enterprises involved in the programme in the north are LCCL and CAN (Compass Advocacy Network).
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