Ebrington Square’s Building 83 to house Action for Children centre

Building 83 is being refurbished in a joint endeavour between leading UK charity, Action for Children, and Ebrington Holdings Ltd.

The new Action for Children centre will allow the charity – which is marking 20 years in Northern Ireland – to meet the needs of more than 600 children, young people and families locally.

Following the major re-development, the Action for Children centre will house the following services delivered by a team of 40 staff to provide vital family support and mental health intervention: Waterside Sure Start, Clooney Family Centre, Waterside Family Support Hub, Western Early Intervention Support Service and The Blues Programme.

Patricia Shiels, co-ordinator at Action for Children’s Waterside Sure Start, said: “This year, Action for Children is celebrating 20 years of delivering services in Northern Ireland and we are delighted to mark the occasion with this newly refurbished facility.

“The coronavirus crisis has left vulnerable families struggling - from trying to keep their kids safe during difficult times or home-schooling to having enough to put food on the table.

“Our keyworkers are a vital lifeline for vulnerable children and families who need us more than ever throughout this crisis and our new building will allow us to continue support families across Northern Ireland now and long after it ends.”

Derek Keys, director at Ebrington Holdings Ltd, said: “We are delighted to continue our investment at Ebrington and look forward to Action for Children taking occupation of their new facilities. We have worked with Action for Children from the beginning to deliver a complete refurbishment of Building 83 to suit all their requirements.”

It’s hoped work on the site will be completed in the next few weeks.