Creating Cohesive Communities

Community Cohesion

LORAG's creating cohesive community project developed out of Belfast City Council's PEACE III programme in 2012. Currently, the post is funded by The Executive Office with programme costs coming from Belfast City Council and other smaller funders. The aim is to promote community cohesion and to develop an integrated approach to cohesion across disciplines including the community, statutory, education and health sectors.

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Homes
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Wide range of activities
delivered in response to community need
"Have always loved cultural events as it helps everyone understand each other… fun time trying to sing in different languages… some lovely singers here today…"

Creating Cohesive Communities

What the project includes

Strategic Networking Forum (SNF)

A cross-sectoral forum bringing people from different sectors together to exchange information, plan for events where there may be disorder, and share practice. The Forum also organises training in the area of community cohesion. Six to eight meetings take place every year.

Neighbourhood Matters

A 24-page publication promoting and celebrating good practice and activities across Inner South Belfast and the Holyland. Two editions are published every year and delivered to 4,250 houses across the above areas. SNF members contribute articles to Neighbourhood Matters, showcasing good practice in good relations.

Download latest Neighbourhood Matters

Other publications

Over the past year, the community cohesion unit has developed and disseminated two publications:

Report It! – a publication encouraging residents to identify and report issues to the relevant body, to improve community safety and cohesion.
Download Report It! report
Good Neighbourhood Guide – an accompanying booklet encouraging good neighbourliness and containing a comprehensive directory of local services.
Download Good Neighbourhood Guide

Gairdín Abhann / River Garden

The community cohesion programme manages the garden and shed area. This is an independently constituted group which reports to LORAG.

Good relations festivals

Festivals take place throughout the year, marking different seasons and days of cultural significance (such as Brigid’s Day) and celebrating community and cultural diversity. The community cohesion coordinator is centrally involved in organising and delivering these events. For details on LORAG’s festival programme, see our festivals page.

Community conversations

The community cohesion programme has facilitated a number of workshops and discussions on how to create cohesive communities and how to counteract misinformation and disinformation which impact negatively on community cohesion.

Cultural trips

The community cohesion programme delivers many cultural trips throughout the year. Recent trips have included:

Historical tours of Belfast City Hall and Stormont
A canoe trip from Shaw’s Bridge to LORAG with a group of LORAG participants
Two currach trips – one with weekly garden participants and one with women from Northern Ireland Somali Association
An ecycle from Lady Dixon’s Park to LORAG
Free entry for local people to Titanic Belfast
A partnership with Cairde na Cille which delivered cultural graveyard visits across Belfast
Theatre trip to Cuckoo Land – an entertaining, informative production about the early days of the Women’s Coalition