'Accessible Communities' project aims to make Carrick a better place for people with learning disabilities to live happy, healthy lives

The three organisations are working together to build on the Royal Mencap Society’s ‘My Community’ pilot that was brought into Carrickfergus by Positive Carrickfergus and Carrickfergus Junior Gateway.

The pilot, which aimed to ‘help make Carrickfergus an even better place for people with learning disabilities to live happy, healthy lives’, has been running in Carrickfergus since November 2021 and the current phase will end June 2024.

It was responsible for a number of initiatives, from the ‘Ring for Ramp’ campaign to make shops and businesses in the town more accessible for wheelchair users, to the introduction of a community garden at Carrickfergus Manor Care Home and the installation of a defibrillator at The Base day centre.

Commenting on the project, Sam Bell, Chair of Carrickfergus and District Mencap said “We have seen how Positive Carrickfergus has been very successful in combining local resources and groups within Carrickfergus in the last number of years. The Society welcomes the opportunity going forward to partner with Positive Carrickfergus to include a special focus on support for the learning disabled community in our local area.”

The collaboration will be funded by both a legacy grant from the Royal Mencap Society and a funded partnership with Carrickfergus and District Mencap Society, with the work being carried out by Positive Carrickfergus. Lynn McKenzie, who worked part-time for My Community as Community Partner and as Creative Producer for Positive Carrickfergus, will continue to lead this work as part of her Positive Carrickfergus role, on the new project which will be called Accessible Communities.

“What we want to focus on over the next two years is what worked really well as part of the pilot and we know what these elements are as the feedback and stories of change we have been hearing over the last two and a half years have been really insightful,” Lynn said.

“The work that became very meaningful was the participation of one of our team members in council and community meetings. To have a person with lived experience of learning disability contribute on their own behalf is far more relevant than those of us who can speak for them. We want to continue with this work and our growing partnership with Councillors on accessibility to town centre buildings, community planning meetings, council policies and communication.

"We will also continue with our monthly conversations bringing together those working in the community, people with a learning disability, parents, carers, councillors, council officers and so on to get to know each other, share what we are working on, resources and information to support each other's work. This collaboration between the three organisations means that these valuable meetings can continue for at least another two years.

“The partnership between Carrickfergus and District Mencap Society and Positive Carrickfergus aims to work with others to help make Carrickfergus a great place to live in for everyone, and understands that by working together we can all do our bit to make it even better. I'm very much looking forward to how this work will develop over the next two years.”