Refurbishment work at two community halls ion Armagh has been completed.

Securing investment of over £260,000 from SOAR ABC’s Rural Basic Services Scheme, Armagh community groups, Redrock Development Partnership and Ballymacnab Community Development Association Ltd, proudly unveiled their newly transformed community halls this week.

Benefiting neighbouring rural Armagh communities across Killeen, Markethill and Ballymacnab, the two revamped recreational hubs are now fit to facilitate more people of various ages to come together to meet, socialise and learn as well as strengthen community bonds and help combat social isolation.

Falling into a state of disrepair, the Redrock Development Partnership community hall was given a lease of new life following an investment of nearly £100,000 from the local action group, which helped fund the centre’s extensive makeover. With key areas of improvement identified through a local consultation, the exciting project saw the construction of a new extension enabling the hall to provide better and more spacious room to service a wider range of community groups, activities and storage.

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Meanwhile local Ballymacnab community group secured over £172,000 from the same scheme, helping them turn improvement plans for their cramped community hall into a reality. The funding enabled the group to extend and renovate their out-of-date community hall so it can now facilitate a broader range of activities and events for the wider rural community.

:It is brilliant to see the incredible transformation of these two local community halls now complete," commented Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Kevin Savage.

"Through investment from local action group, SOAR ABC, rural communities in the Killeen, Markethill and Ballymacnab areas can now enjoy and benefit from modern, spacious and fit-for-purpose community facilities, helping support a greater range of activities and events for many years to come. With many months of planning and hard work, I would like to congratulate everyone involved in helping get these projects to come to life."

Both projects were funded through SOAR ABC's Rural Basic Services Scheme, which helps support the provision of improvements in social infrastructure, enabling and promoting greater and more sustainable access to basic services within local rural communities.