Community spirit brewing in Cullybackey as Housing Executive supports ‘Forging Friendships’ project

Pictured with John Read, Housing Executive Good Relations Officer, Mid and East Antrim is Samantha Peden, Community Development Officer and participants of the Christmas coffee morning provided by Cullybackey Community Partnership. Also represented at the event was the board of directors, Cullybackey Men's Shed and members of Cullybackey community. All the catering equipment for the event was funded by the Housing Executive.

A gift of coffee-making equipment from the Housing Executive is set to keep on giving for many Christmases to come in Cullybackey, helping to strengthen community bonds and tackle social isolation through a grassroots partnership initiative.

Cullybackey Community Partnership has been making full use of the new equipment at a recent festive coffee morning, delivered as part of its collective Forging Friendships project.

The initiative is supported by a £3,000 Housing Executive community grant, enabling the partnership to deliver a wide range of inclusive activities aimed at improving wellbeing and reducing loneliness within the local area.

As well as purchasing the coffee-making equipment, the funding has allowed the group to facilitate craft sessions, host pottery workshops, arrange visits to other social enterprise projects and invest in an advertising campaign to broaden community engagement.

The impact of the project has been particularly meaningful for people facing isolation due to caring responsibilities, financial pressures or limited mobility — challenges heightened by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Participants of the festive coffee morning hosted by Cullybackey Community Partnership try their hand at making a marshmallow and spaghetti snowman. The catering equipment for this event was funded by the Housing Executive.

Samantha Peden, Community Development Officer with Cullybackey Community Partnership, said the funding had made a tangible difference to local lives.

“I would just like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the Housing Executive for their support in our latest collective project, Forging Friendships.

“All of our activities help to address social isolation midst a cost-of-living crisis. For example, our pottery evening brought 15 people, primarily those in carer roles or those who can’t get away for long periods of time, together for two hours to create beautiful craft work at no cost.

“As a collective, this project has enabled us to widely address loneliness, social isolation, financial hardship and cost of living crisis, under one umbrella.

“Friendships have been at the heart of this project, nurturing established ones whilst cultivating new ones along the way.

“Being involved gives a sense of purpose, belonging and is crucial for healthy mental health and overall wellbeing.”

The Forging Friendships project has been praised for its inclusive approach, creating safe, welcoming spaces where residents can connect through shared experiences — whether over a cup of coffee or through hands-on creative activity.

John Read, Housing Executive Good Relations Officer for Mid and East Antrim, highlighted the wider community value of the initiative.

“We recognise that getting involved within the local community has huge rewards enabling all communities to reap the benefits.

“Forging Friendships is promoting social and community cohesion which can then be brought back to normal everyday life through lessons learned on a best practice visit or just a chat at the monthly coffee morning where social isolation is banished and mental health nurtured.

“Projects like this are leading the way promoting positive community interaction and experiences.”

The regular coffee mornings are further supported by Radius Housing through its St Patrick’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme, reinforcing a collaborative approach to building stronger, more connected neighbourhoods.

As winter sets in, the warmth generated by Forging Friendships is proving that relatively small investments can have a lasting impact — not just in cups of coffee shared, but in friendships formed and wellbeing improved across the community.