ACRE busy saving the planet

The ACRE project »  set up by the Jesuits in Northern Ireland in 2020 to support and encourage ground-level groups to save the planet ‘from burning and drowning’ at the same time, has delivered a new six-week pilot course, ‘My Planet, My Home’. The environmental awareness course was given to members of the Women’s Centre in Lisburn.

Ciarán McLarnon who runs the Acre project says the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and of benefit to Acre as well as to the Women’s Centre. More courses are now in the pipeline as Ciarán continues his work of building up trust with a large network of groups in his community development and ecology work. His trusty ukulele was how he engaged so successfully with a wide spectrum of communities, the instrument helping him to gain the trust of those who wanted to listen or to play. Read Ciarán’s full report on the Acre project development below.

My Planet, My Home

The ‘My Planet, My Home’ course was created to bridge the gap between a community group’s initial aspiration to create an environmental project and the time it takes to build this momentum internally. The course has been delivered successfully to the Atlas Women’s Centre in Lisburn and we have further plans for a second delivery session with the centre’s working mums.

The outcomes so far have been hugely beneficial for both the centre and ACRE. The local community commented on how “fantastic, informative, and vital” the informational sessions were. These initial pilot outcomes were feedback to management staff at the centre and suggestions were put forward to utilise resources onsite that have been forgotten about.

The centre has its own raised beds and polytunnel that are sitting idle. Members attending assumed that these were being used by others, as there were never any projects advertised for them. Centre staff have since taken onboard feedback from the initial pilot and are looking for funding to re-energise their greenspace, which they have “taken for granted, and forgotten about.

Furthermore, off the back of the successful pilot run ACRE has been approached by Belfast City Council, who heard about us via our ACRE climate song performed at an awards ceremony for Choice Housing. We have since put forward a proposal to deliver ‘My Planet, My Home’ at their Girdwood Community Hub, situated at an interface area in North Belfast. The Centre is keen to replicate the successes gained with the Atlas Women’s Centre and has put forward several greenspaces they would love to see their community rewild for the benefit of all.

ACRE has also been making gains in our drive to move into a more focused role supporting such greenspace developments. Recently, we generated a new partnership with Lagan Park (Lisburn), Woven Housing (Belfast), Formation Works (NI-wide), and Friends of Callan River (Armagh).

The project aimed to reduce further flooding impacts along a stretch of the Lagan River. Friends of Callan River supplied 80 trees from their tree nursery. The trees were planted by both ourselves and Woven staff in the afternoon.  Positive publicity for both Formation Works and Woven Housing has led to a follow-up meeting with Formation Works, who are keen to replicate this successful project at their other business sites across Northern Ireland. They hope to engage the local community in future planting events.

ACRE has also been supporting a new partnership with Armagh City Council and the Friends of Callan River. This new partnership is centred around tree planting at the Navan Fort in Armagh. Friends of Callan River have agreed with the council to supply trees to increase the site’s woodland areas. ACRE will play a pivotal role in this project. Using our community connections, we will be hosting groups at the site alongside staff from the council.

ACRE will welcome each group with a short information session about this new project, relaying the importance of taking climate action with each group before they head out to plant in their own climate action contribution. Our first group is confirmed: Don’t Box Me In (DBMI) is a local mixed-ability community group. They are very keen to bring both their groups along for the first planting event, aiming for the end of April. Moreover, with plans in place to plant thousands of trees over the next five years, there will be plenty to keep us all busy.