‘The people of Galliagh have been crying out for something to be done’

The incidents were the latest in a series of attacks visited upon the people living in Derry’s northernmost estate.

Fed up with their area being used as a staging ground for such activity, residents rallied outside the local shop in a show of solidarity with those who had been worst affected and it was from this event that Galliagh Community Response was formed.

The groups of residents immediately set about organising themselves to conduct patrols across the estate in the evenings and at night, determined to take back control of their own area.

Colly McLaughlin, who founded the GCR, said: “That night a local man’s car was burned and the place went mental and these were young people from everywhere, all different areas.

“Five or six of us at the time - we weren’t involved in any group - noticed residents were standing about saying, ‘What can we do? We don’t know who these people are that are doing this’. I had met other residents and thought, I’m going to do something and I called for a meeting at the Co-Op and there were around 250 to 300 people.

“The people of Galliagh have been crying out for something to be done.

“We were not going to go down the road of vigilantism, and we know there are other groups doing good work but we needed something specific to actually deal with this and other issues on the ground effectively.

“We are an umbrella sort of group. We are different people with different politics and we don’t bring it to the street - the only politics in what we are doing is class politics.”

Mr McLaughlin said that GCR aimed to actively address the needs of people who live in Galliagh on the ground. The group are now planning to formally constitute and will in time seek a premises from which to operate.

While there are some groups based in and active in the Galliagh area involved in valuable community initiatives, few would dispute that dedicated community and other facilities for an area which is home to thousands upon thousands of people are lacking.

The new Galliagh Community Centre being built in the heart of the estate will go some way to address the deficit but GCR say proactive measures and a range of interventions on the ground are also a necessity.

The group want to tap into working with the Ballyarnett Community and Safety Development Project, which has seen young people in the region over recent months volunteering to help in clean ups, and other groups doing proactive work.

Mr McLaughlin said that there remained a lack of provision for young people, and while at the moment opportunities for engagement are limited, around 20 people within GCR are now undergoing child protection training.

A number of members are also organising training with regards to mental health and drug and alcohol addiction - also major issues in the area - with various other community groups in the city providing guidance.

This preparatory work however has not prevented GCR being extremely proactive over recent months, and indeed the fledging movement have been organising events such as socially distanced visits by Santa to local children in their streets at Christmas and a North Pole postal service, as well as an anti-bullying campaign with local schoolchildren and salting untreated routes over the winter.

“We got grit for during the icy weather but we couldn’t do all the areas so we concentrated on the bungalows for older and more vulnerable people. We’d like to do more areas and maybe apply to the Department for Infrastructure for help in this in future.

“We also gave out 45 hampers to local people in the area and toys donated by local families,” Mr McLaughlin said.

The group have also made themselves directly available as rapid responders to older residents who are facing any problems.

Aside from securing derelict and vacant homes and campaigning for them to be brought back into use, this year GCR is already looking towards getting to grips with the issues surrounding the annual August 15 bonfire on the estate. “It affects everybody, some don’t want it, many are mixed about it, so we are looking to see if we can engage with the young fellows, try to make it more of a festival and then patrol it over three or four weeks and look at what happens afterwards, that’s going to be our main focus and we have already started engaging on that.”

In decades past, Galliagh was a hive of activity with whole streets coming together to get involved in festivals and floats, street parties, youth trips and football tournaments and this too is something GCR are keen to see reignited in the long-term, with several football coaches among its members .

Meanwhile the patrols across Galliagh are continuing each night.

“With COVID restrictions we have had to break it up into two groups. Some of us are working; some are furloughed at the minute. We have about 40 of us in the group at the minute and we are all committed to Galliagh.”

Mr McLaughlin said feedback from fellow Galliagh residents has been extremely positive, with many expressing relief that something is being done to tackle problems head on.

“The feedback has been amazing, and it is more as a deterrent at the moment but soon we will have more opportunity for engagement with young people.”

GCR today has members in every area of the estate, all of whom are passionate about tackling the issues on the ground, and about creating a bright future for everyone in an area where community spirit is still very much alive and kicking.