The County Antrim town of Crumlin has been boosted with the launch of a new community hub.

Over £50,000 was invested to refurbish the upstairs of the Crumlin United FC Club House into an accessible community space.

The facility benefited from a grant of £37,500 through the Basic Services scheme of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded through the European Union and Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs and administered locally by GROW South Antrim. Financial support was also received from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and through fundraising.

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Pakenham Community Limited has officially opened the new facility, which is already being used by a wide range of community groups, such as Crumlin Pensioners, Weight Watchers, Crumlin Stitching and Cooking Group.

Tom McPeake, Crumlin Utd FC chairman said: "We are delighted to open the community hub at the club.  There has been a lot of work put into the community hub concept and to see it open is a major step forward in terms of our overall vision – to be a community club. I would like to thank GROW and Antrim and Newtownabbey Council for the support provided. Their support has made this project a reality and is already making a difference in terms of community engagement and cohesion."

Bob Adams, Vice Chair of GROW added: "This project is an excellent example of a community identifying a need for improved community space, and working together to make this happen. We are delighted to have supported the project and to see how well the facility is already being used." 

(CM/MH)