Cedar celebrates 10 ‘inspirational’ years of work at Springtown base

Pictured at the 10th anniversary celebrations of Cedar in Derry are, from left, Stephen Mathews, Chief Executive, Cedar Foundation, Breda Doherty, manager, Eileen Thompson, Deputy Chief Executive, Mayor Michaela Boyle, Prof. Maurice Mulvena, Executive Committee, Stephen Woods and Dr. Nan Hill, Executive Committee. Photo: nwpresspics

Cedar has just celebrated 10 years of delivering services across the North West from its base at Springtown.

To mark the special anniversary, service users, staff and trustees were joined by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Michaela Boyle, as well as representatives from the Wooden Spoon charity, to hear about how the services have grown and developed over the last decade. Cedar first developed the site in 2009 - with funding support from Wooden Spoon - as a resource centre for children and young people with disabilities and, in that time, it has grown from having 10 staff to now having 29 staff who support more than 250 children and adults with disability, autism and brain injury.

The anniversary event included a presentation from Breda Doherty, regional quality assurance manager, who covered ‘ten years in ten minutes’ and showcased the growth in services and highlighted the many achievements of Cedar in changing the lives of children and adults with disabilities in the North West.

Speaking at the event, Mayor Boyle said: “It has been a great pleasure to thank all those that have worked in Springtown over the last 10 years for delivering the fantastic services that make such a difference to the lives of individuals and families in this part of the world.

“Learning about the services that have been developed in this building has been inspirational, to say the least. Moreover, it has been an honour to mark milestone moments for members of Cedar staff who have dedicated themselves to making a real difference in the community.”

Speaking about the impact of the Springtown initiative within the wider community, Prof. Maurice Mulvenna, Chair of Cedar Executive Committee, said: “Over the years, there has been a remarkable and dedicated team based here, developing a whole range of services and it is quite right that we recognise this by celebrating our tenth anniversary at Springtown.

“It has been a great day for celebration, reflecting and looking back at the wonderful achievements of Cedar in the North West.”

The event concluded with recognition for staff members celebrating milestone anniversaries and was followed by a celebratory lunch.