Caring Association appoints new staff

They are Claire Hinchliff, who has been appointed as youth and family worker, and Norman McCorkell, who is the new project coordinator.

Norman is a native of the Waterside and only recently returned home after finishing theological studies in Dublin, in which he gained first class honours in a BA honours in Applied Theology.

Married to Emily, the couple have daughter, Elsie, who is just 16 months old.

Norman comess to All Saints Caring Association with leadership experience in projects of a similar nature, locally and nationally, including ‘Street Pastors’ in Londonderry, and the ‘Saint Patrick Foundation’ in Dublin.

He has a passion to see lasting transformation in his home city through community transformation, education, and radical generosity.

“I am very excited about my new appointment and I’m really looking forward to listening to the people of the Waterside regarding their ideas to make this community project successful and beneficial to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Claire Hinchliff will be leading ASCA programmes which are aimed at teenagers and families, and although she has a degree in Environmental Sciences her passion is for working with young people. As a result she retrained and is now a fully qualified youth worker and has an array of youth work experience, including working with young people in Cork, Portadown and in the Waterside.

“I’m very excited for the work that is already going on with the young people but I can’t wait to see how they will all get involved with the new ideas and grow in life. I see this project as a way of equipping the young people in a variety of ways, preparing them for making decisions throughout their lives,” she said.

All Saints Caring Association (ASCA) has its origins in All Saints Clooney Church, and according to the Rector, Rev Malcolm RK Ferry, was born out of social conscience.

“It is a shop front for the Church. It was born because there is a lot of need out there. ASCA’s ‘Community Empowerment Project’ is their flagship project that hopes to positively shape and change the culture of the Waterside its environs. ASCA is promoting general charitable purposes for the benefit of the community of Waterside and its environs without distinction of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic identity, political or religious opinion,” he said.

“It aims to do this through promoting and enabling community, assisting education, and advocating for social welfare issues through a range of community services and training available from ASCA’s new 4000 sq. ft. community building, currently being constructed on the site of the Stewart Memorial Hall. Thanks goes to both the International Fund For Ireland and the Rural Development Council for making this new build, and project, possible. ASCA’s exciting new facility will include easy access and a welcoming exterior and tea and coffee facilities to allow passerbys to drop in and feel at home,” he said.

Although the new facility is not due for completion until 2012, the Community Empowerment Project (CEP) is up-and-running, already delivering positive change in the Waterside. One element of the project is the free welfare advice service, available every Wednesday through 6 Melrose Terrace.

Staff at the facility would like to engage with community leaders in the Waterside, listen to their ideas about how the CEP can help compliment the great work that is already happening in the various communities.

The aim of ASCA is to help empower community leaders to up-skill and train their leaders for the betterment of their communities, and the city. Moreover, ASCA plans to help equip and up-skill young people, families, and volunteers through various services in their new facility. ASCA has plans to partner in cross-border community relations with, and for the betterment of, a rural community in Colgan, Donegal.

For any further information please contact the ASCA office at 6 Melrose Terrace, Londonderry, BT47 6DR, or telephone: 028 7134 9348, or email [email protected].