Newry construction firm Colm Meehan & Co has been appointed by Women’s Aid Armagh Down to deliver the first phase of a new £3 million centre of excellence in the city to provide support services for women, children and young people impacted by domestic abuse.
The ELEOS (Engagement, Learning, Empowerment, Opportunity and Support) centre on Downshire Road will replace the organisation’s existing facility and will be the first of its kind domestic abuse support centre in the north, providing a range of specialised programmes and support services.
Last year Women’s Aid Armagh Down launched a capital fundraising plan to help fund the project, which has to date received £360,000 capital and revenue funding from Community Ownership through the Department for Levelling Up; £25,000 from the Pilgrim’s Trust and £50,000 from Garfield Weston Trust.
The organisation hopes to raise the remaining balance over the next two years through grant support, charitable giving and corporate fundraising.
It’s chief executive Eileen Murphy said: “We are delighted to have Colm Meehan & Co. on board for our ELEOS Project, which has been an ambition of Women’s Aid Armagh Down for such a long time.
“It’s overwhelming to see it start coming to fruition. It is particularly poignant to be announcing this when we are remembering the 25 women murdered in Northern Ireland since 2020. One woman murdered is one too many.
“We owe it to the increasing number of women and children in our society who are victims of domestic abuse to be able to help at the earliest stage possible.
“More than 2,000 women accessed our services in Armagh Down alone in the last year, and we are completely oversubscribed. We need the space and the facilities to help prevent women and children ending up in life threatening situations.”
She added: “This is a massive undertaking for us, but our buildings are very old and falling apart. A woman impacted by the trauma of domestic abuse needs to feel safe when she arrives with us, and we need to instil a sense of confidence and hope for her.
“At present, while we are doing our best, it’s difficult to ignore the cold and the wet damp walls, while the cost of keeping the heating on is frightening. We sincerely hope the business community and those bodies with control of capital funding will support us in this urgent work.
“We want to deliver a world class facility for women and their children right across this island to really make a difference in our attempts to be the change and eliminate violence against women and children.”
