GVRT Belfast

“The Greater Village Regeneration Trust exists to galvanise local efforts: to articulate and deliver sustainable regeneration in this community of the city of Belfast.”

GVRT and British Urban Collective are partnered to create a community recording studio space in association with Windsor Women’s Centre. The studio will be open from November 2008 and will offer people of all ages the opportunity to learn about recording music and give young people in the area the chance to write and record their own music.

The Trust initially established in response to increasing concerns within the area in relation to housing conditions as part of a collective community decision. This approach ensured the facilitation of a more holistic, galvanised approach to the regeneration of the area.

The Trust formulated not only to help drive forward change in the physical but also the visual aspects of the area have over 2006/2007 given areas such as Blythefield Park particular attention with the Donegall Road Environment Improvement Scheme developed in conjunction with a number of community organisations within the area has continued to target those issues that detract from people’s enjoyment of their area. In particular 20 inner city allotment plots were established, nineteen of which have been allocated to local people with one plot designated for community use.

Efforts of the Trust are not enough when centralised on the physical and visual aspects of the area alone, the Trust founded to take a galvanised approach to area improvement in doing so also aims to drive forward economic change through the development of social enterprises and training schemes, to educate and employ or facilitate the obtaining of skills to assist in gaining employment. The development of our projects such as the Employment Action Programme and the Wood Working Skills and Personal Development Scheme are continually being enhanced to better prepare local people for work from ages 16+ with each year since there formulation growth rates in participate numbers rising considerably.