Community group folds

Community group folds

31 January 2024

THE Crossgar Community Association has folded due to lack of support.

The plug was pulled after just three people attended the group’s annual meeting last week with the decision placing a huge question mark over the future of the village’s Halloween and Christmas events and summer festival.

News of the decision has sparked calls for people to come forward to help and ensure residents not only have a voice through a dedicated group representing and articulating their views, but also help organise various events.

Outgoing vice-chairman Noel Ellison thanked everyone who contributed to its work over the years and said it was “upsetting things have come to this”.

He hoped that there may be some people in the village motivated to step forward with new ideas and fresh thinking.

Confirming it’s the end of the road, Mr Ellison said the community group was “left with no option” but to terminate the organisation.

On Monday night, he said he believes the group has gone but hopes there may be people who would be prepared to step up to take things forward.

“I’ve tried to keep it going, but the group has been on its knees for the past three or four years. The last time it was threatened with collapse we got some new people in and we talked about things and we set up a WhatsApp group.

“The association has 14 people in it. I posted details about last week’s annual meeting but only two people responded. Our long term secretary, who has been brilliant and been with us for about 15 years, has stepped down and was more than good.”

Mr Ellison said when it came to organising events over recent years he was asking his friends for help “but it has got too much”.

He said it was increasingly difficult to run community groups without support and that the number of hoops organisations are required to jump through to secure local authority funding is “crazy.”

Mr Ellison said the community group applied for financial support for the Halloween and Christmas celebrations last year but did not receive all the money it was hoping to get as the events were not held over two consecutive days.

He said unless someone takes over, these popular community events in the village are finished.

“Maybe other organisations will step forward and that will be good. The community group cannot do it as there were not enough people at the annual meeting to appoint office bearers so it’s not properly constituted and our insurance cover would not be liable,” he said.

Looking at the immediate future, Mr Ellison said: “It could be a case of when you close something down other people might step in and say ‘right, I’ll have a go and takeover’.

“There may well be people out there who didn’t want to get involved with something I was involved with and if someone wants to come in and run their own thing with fresh ideas with another group of people that would be good.

“I don’t think I was able to inspire people to keep going. There are lots of good people in Crossgar doing a lot of good things and there are other community groups and maybe new people might come forward to help.”

Mr Ellison added: “I think fresh faces are needed and I will certainly give them all the help I can. For someone to drive a new association with a new agenda I think it needs to be new people involved. I hope there is an opportunity for people to come forward and keep the group going.”

Rowallane councillor Terry Andrews, who was unable to make last week’s annual meeting as he was on holiday, hopes it isn’t the end for the community group.

He paid tribute to Mr Ellison and other committee members for their hard work and hopes there will be people in the village who will come forward to form a new community group.

“Crossgar needs such a group and I sincerely hope this will happen,” he continued.

“The Crossgar Community Association did a lot of good work but over recent years that was left to just several people and the numbers who attended the annual meeting were very disappointing,” Cllr Andrews continued. 

“If there is anyone who would like to help the village I would ask them to come forward and offer their services. Crossgar needs them and as a growing village, it needs its own community group to organise events and work with others.”

Cllr Andrews added: “As a founder member of the community association I really hope it isn’t the end of the road and it’s not too late and new blood will come forward.

“It’s important that voices of the people in Crossgar are heard and a community group is the ideal vehicle to allow this to happen.”