A project funded by the EU’s PEACE III Programme man-aged by the Special EU Programmes Body and delivered by the North Down, Ards and Down Peace III Partnership Board

Staff Diarmaid McGarrigle Centre Manager

Angela Fitzpatrick Peace III Programme Worker to Dec 13 P/T

Marie Hoeritzhauer Peace III Programme Worker P/T

Karin McKinty Peace III Programme Worker

Julie Gibson Programme Worker

Andrew Kelly Programme Worker

Patrick O’Neill Cook P/T

Deborah Sharvin Administrator P/T to Dec 13

Bernie Armstrong Finance Officer P/T

Joanna Misiak Kitchen Assistant P/T to Sept 13

Committee Members Helen Honeyman Chairperson Rob Sterrett Vice Chair and Programme Cttee David Boyd Hon.Treasurer Staff / Finance Cttee Sharon Heaney Hon Secretary &Programme Cttee Seamus Camplisson Council and Staff / Finance Cttee Dee Kelly Council and Staff / Finance Cttee Brenda O’Connor Council and Programme Cttee David Patterson Council and Programme Cttee Maureen Ridgway Council and Programme Cttee Sheina Rigg Council and Programme Cttee Ed Sipler Council Margaret Magowan Programme Committee Gerard McWilliams Programme Committee Kate Acton Programme Committee to Dec 13

Chairperson’s Report  Harmony Community Trust activities for 2013 were concentrated on developing links between communities and individuals in North Down, Ards and Down Districts. This was in line with our strategy adopted in 2010, to concentrate on promoting positive community relations and realise our aims and objectives in the communities closest to Glebe House. This targeting has proved to be worthwhile by including participants in need of the opportunities that Glebe House can offer and addressing sectarianism and hidden interfaces. We hope that our programme has helped in improving levels of trust within and between communities, and decreasing levels of prejudice in the area. The EU Peace III phase 2 funding has been vital for our work, but we have also been indebted to other funders enabling us to consolidate and extend the programme for long-term sustainability. We have not worked ex-clusively within the Peace III cluster, but have welcomed groups from Belfast, Dublin and elsewhere. We have provided 3681 person days to 736 disadvantaged children, and young people, 291 volunteers and 706 adults. There were 74 different groups as well as individuals making use of our facilities with volunteers from 13 different countries. The Council of Management worked hard during the year to ensure continuation of our work following the anticipated demise of Peace III funding in December 2013 with the subsequent reduction in the staffing complement and the need to source programme and core funding from a variety of fun-ders. The twelfth hour announcement of a Peace III extension until September 2014 has given us breathing space to adjust and we are confident that our strategic planning sets us in good stead for much needed work in the future. The demand for our services continues to grow and Glebe House has proved once more, its value as a shared and safe venue for cross-community activities for all ages. Our challenge continues to be finding the funding necessary to sustain and extend this work in the future, continuing the ongoing task of overcoming sectarianism, racism and other prejudices, in order to create a shared and inclusive society. We are up for the challenge but need the financial support. Helen Honeyman ….Chairperson Harmony Community Trust Council of Management. 

Children & Youth Programme Disadvantaged children and young people from different backgrounds, have worked together throughout the year on an evolving series of activities which focused on developing their awareness of similar and different identities, beliefs and attitudes thus leading to the promotion of good relations and a sense of shared future. It has been encouraging to see the young people develop new friendships, self-esteem and confidence whilst enjoying new, fun and positive experiences. Glebe House has provided a safe, non-judgemental environment allowing children to enjoy time away from difficulties they may be experiencing at home. One of the older girls commented that this was her first ever residen-tial as there were no opportunities in her area and her family couldn't afford to pay for schools trips. All young people are given the chance to express their feelings about their Glebe House experience and it is heartening to read some of their comments, which sum up the value of the programme!. “It was the best time I have ever had in my life.....” “I can’t wait to come back to see my friends and the donkeys...” One girl said she had no garden to play in and no-one took her to the park or for walks. That is what she loved about Glebe, as well as the way the "older people" talked to her, made her laugh and let her play. Many children come from rurally isolated areas and are lonely ,with few other children to play with. Glebe House gives them the chance to make new friends and have new ex-periences. 28 community groups took part in activities along with individually referred chil-dren. Sustained contact over the year allowed leaders and children to build relationships with several groups meeting outside of Glebe House. Some are actively seeking funding to maintain their contact into 2014. As we move to a shared future, there is still a need for the work HCT does, as unfortunately, sectarianism and deprivation continue to exist in all areas. . Sharon Heaney….Chairperson Children and Youth programme  Committee 

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Adult Programme The challenge of the Adult programme has been to ensure our activities were underpinned by promoting understanding and addressing differ-ence across community and cultural divides for people from rural areas. The activities were a tool for providing opportunities for people from a wide variety of backgrounds to meet and explore their shared and differ-ing social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. As the participants devel-oped deeper relationships and mutual trust, it was exciting to see the development of dialogue and discussion that challenged misconceptions as well as an eagerness for more challenging activities and study trips. Whilst all activities have been fun, some, judging from feedback and comments, have been very moving and emotional. It has also been a meaningful experience for many participants and volunteers. The chal-lenge is to consolidate and build on the learning experience that this programme has provided and involve more groups. The adult programme set out to develop cross community linkages across the hidden interfaces in East Down. Diverse workshops, with a community relations focus, developed links between people to begin trust building. The study tours evoked memories and debunked a few historical myths, whilst the day events provided people with space to discuss and exchange views. Workshops creating a Peace Quilt generated discussions about the racist and sectarian attitudes which exist in the rural areas of Co. Down, generating comments such as; ”Isn’t it grand that we’re all different but the whole quilt looks great” and “It’s a pity the politicians can’t do the same for the country” HCT has provided opportunities for people to explore various attitudes to peace and reconciliation, developing an open mindedness to past and present current affairs. It is now incumbent on us to further enable neighbouring, but different, communities to work together. We hope the ripple effect of this pro-gramme may trickle down and give hope and inspiration to those engag-ing in creating a shared society.                                                                             Dee Kelly, Chairperson Adult Programme Committee 

Teenage Work Study Programmes These have given disadvantaged young people aged 14 to 17, from different communities, a chance to meet new people, make new friends, have new experiences and get a taste of what it is like to be a volunteer. The pro-gramme consisted of a mixture of practical projects at Glebe House, such as tidying up the grounds and planting trees, as well as, teambuilding challenges, talks about different forms of volunteering, visits and social activities. The groups and individuals linked well together and met up after their programme had finished to stay in contact socially. Some of the older teenagers have become volunteers in their own community and at Glebe House. Some even tried to take over Belfast City Hall by having their photographs taken in the council chamber. Altogether 49 young people benefited from the programme during the year. It was part funded by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, whose support was much appreciated. We are hoping to expand this programme in 2014 and beyond, particularly linking the voluntary work to developing our environmental projects and creating an educational resource.

Volunteering, culture, craic and communities..2013 This year Glebe House would like to recognise the incalculable contribution of the volunteers who are Harmony Community Trust. Our volunteers are a very special group of individuals. They come from all walks of Northern Ireland and world society, from Ballynahinch to Brisbane, representing all shades of political opinion, religious persuasion and none, young and not so young, with all of life’s experiences behind them. They make up what is Harmony Community Trust, being the linchpin for the aims and spirit of the organisation. This past year has been no exception. We have welcomed volunteers from near and far, to work on our programmes, and keep their heads when all about them are trying to fly flags. We have a policy of recruiting local volunteers from the same communities as the children. They know the children and local environment, which can help with issues such as home sickness. Volunteers are involved in every aspect of the children’s residential programme. They perform all the child-care duties; run the activities and bring a funfilled and enthusiastic sense of doing something positive for the right reasons. They can be working from early morning until late in the evening for up to 6 days on the trot, but still leave with smiles on their faces. They may be tired but it is well-earned and after some rest and relaxation are back, ready to join the next residential. Each year we host a number of overseas volunteers through Service Civil International. The volunteers come from all over Europe but due to UK visa restrictions, we have had problems with hosting non-EU volunteers. We have relied on SCI-UK in Scotland to assist with this. Our successful ,if complicated ,application to the UK Border Agency means we can now ac-cept a limited number of non-EU volunteers. We are now looking at hosting some long term volunteers, to be a part of the HCT community, through organisations such as Service Civil International, Brethren Service, USA and Eirene ,Germany. It is over 12 years since we had LTV’s at Glebe House so this is an exciting development. During the summer, we hosted 3 international volunteers, Klara from the Czech Republic, Donata from Italy and Alison from New Jersey bringing a bit of internationalism to our children’s programme. A big thank you to all our summer volunteers including community leaders and local people from everyone involved at Glebe House Our annual International Workcamp ran for 2 weeks in early September in association with the Irish branch of SCI. This year the 14 volunteers came from Austria, Spain, Germany Italy, Hungary, Ireland, France, England and Northern Ireland.. They were involved in a range of activities from the end of summer clean up to environmental and construction work on our nature / play area. There were a number of discussions relating to Northern Ireland and the peace process and they went on a very wet trip to the UK City of Culture 2013, taking in the historical sights and rain of the Maiden City. Thanks are due for their hard work which is basic but invaluable for the

maintenance and development of Glebe House Glebe House has become more than a residential centre. We run a great number of day activities particularly during the midweek periods. There are themed and seasonal Day Programmes for adults including seniors, Workshops on a wide range of issues and skills and Study Trips to places of social and cultural interest. Some activities are start-ing to become annual events. For the last few years we have run a very successful Mid -Summers evening and our Burns Night in January is taking on a life of its own. Glebe House becomes Scottish for a day with kilts, haggis, bagpipes, country-dances and readings and songs from Robbie Burns. It’s a great night of Scottish culture and Northern Ireland craic. Open Day, in June, our community fun day, is now a set event in the local calendar, with over 600 people attending. Our children’s Sum-mer Scheme and Saturday arts clubs are also becoming an established part of our programme. They offer local children the opportunity to experience a very creative arts programme run by Judith O’Neill. A small group of volunteers who tend to get forgotten, but without whom we would not exist, are our committee members. They sit in meetings discussing legal issues, dealing with current government legislation, getting their heads around budget figures and dealing with the hidden side of what keeps a charity on track and delivering its aims. They are the unsung volunteers with their hands firmly on the tiller of Harmony Community Trust. I would like to thank the Glebe House staff team for their commitment and dedication to their work in delivering our very successful pro-grammes over the last year. A special mention of thanks and apprecia-tion must go to Angela Fitzpatrick and Debbie Sharvin who finished their contracts with us in December. We also thank Joanna Misiak (Asha) who finished in September. Glebe House is a unique and special place for people of all ages. We are continually trying to make sure our resources, facilities and activi-ties are up to the highest standards. We rely on the support of the local community in the Strangford and Kilclief area and are indebted to our volunteers who give up their time to participate in our many pro-grammes and activities. We look forward to continuing the work of peace building and providing new and unique experiences for all our visitors at Glebe House. Diarmaid McGarrigle … Centre Manager

Fundraising and Sponsorship We have been funded and supported during the year by the North Down, Ards and Down Peace III Partnership, the DHSS&PS Child Care Policy Directorate, BBC Children in Need, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Com-munity Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Big Lottery, Awards for All and Down and Ards District Councils. We thank them for enabling us to develop our cross-community work with disadvantaged young people and adults from local community groups. Because of the lack of statutory funding for community relations programmes with children and young people, the Peace III funding was much appreciated partly though its ad-ministrative burden and funding conditions curtailed our capac-ity to fundraise elsewhere both for groups from outside the cluster area and for continuation funding. This became increas-ingly urgent as the end date of December 31st loomed closer and closer. The twelfth hour extension for Peace III, is helping us to secure alternative funding to support our Good Relations and peacebuilding programmes. We are also trying to re-educate community groups about the need for contributions towards the cost of our activities. As usual we must thank the many individuals and local busi-nesses who helped with donations and support for our various fundraising events. We are grateful for the various gifts and donations received from friends of HCT and Glebe House. Open Day was a great success which we hope will be repeated in 2014. Jams, Apples , sweeties and other items for sale con-tinue to contribute a small income, but we need to increase fundraising at all levels. We are on the look out for supporters prepared to run fundraising events on our behalf as such non-earmarked income is vital for our sustainability. Gifts in kind and voluntary work help maintain the facilities and programme at a minimal cost. During the year, we benefited from the labours of DHSS&PS staff, and Voluntary Service International in addition to our teenage groups, and a commit-ted band of regular volunteers and committee members.

Incoming resources 2013

2012

Generated funds Voluntary income * 79,393 179,893 Activities for generating funds 5,030 6,301 Charitable activities Core grants * 32,343 32,343 Programme activities * 146,032 119,162 Total incoming resources 262,698 337,599 Resources expended Cost of generating voluntary in-come

6,855 5,881

Charitable activities * 271,711 280,092 Governance costs 1,490 7,715 Total resources expended 280,256 293,688 Net (outgoing) incoming re-sources for the year

(17,358) 43,911

Funds brought forward 476,735 432,824 Total funds carried forward 459,377 476,735 * includes restricted funds income £33,899, £32,243 and £146,032 and costs £237,895 BALANCE SHEET 31 March 2012

2013

£

2012

£

Fixed assets 468,728 468,020 Current assets Debtors 15,270 86,864 Cash at bank and in hand 176 163 15,446 89,027 Creditors falling due within one year

(24,797) (78,312)

Net current assets (liabilities) (9,351) 8,715 Net assets 459,377 476,735 Reserves Unrestricted funds- general funds 33,351 32,411 Restricted funds – building and capital grant

424,026 444,324

459,377 476,735

Summary of Financial Activities year ended 31 March 2013 Honorary Treasurer’s Report The financial results for the year reflect a full year of programmes for children and adults funded under the European Peace III initiative. As ever, Council remain aware of the continuing increased chal-lenges to come from restricted sources of funding, and in particular the limited extended period of Peace III funding, and are devoting their efforts to restructuring and further extending the sources of income for future years.

It should be noted that the current market value of the land and buildings is considered to be £0.7 million, which is still considerably in excess of the carrying value in the balance sheet of £411,526. David Boyd

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