New Derry Peace Process Museum and Gasyard extension funding of £2.8m secured

The announcement of £2.8m funding for the construction of the new facilities symbolically comes 25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement.

Manager of the Gasyard Development Trust, Linda McKinney said the project will transform the building and the services it provides.

“We are delighted that funding has been provided by The Executive Office’s Urban Villages Initiative, Department for Communities, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and The National Lottery Fund to transform the Gasyard Centre,” Linda said.

“The project, which will be managed and match-funded by Derry City & Strabane District Council, will see the construction of a new extension to the building which will provide a new community café, improved and enlarged reception area, new meeting rooms and a welcoming outdoor space that can be used for events.

“Crucially, the funding also allows us to develop a brand new museum in the Centre which will chronicle the evolution of the conflict from August 1972 and the key role played by Bogside residents Martin McGuinness, John Hume and Mitchel McLaughlin in developing the peace process.”

The museum will also see local residents recount their memories of the conflict and peace process and will create a number of full and part time jobs.

Mayor Sandra Duffy said this will be an important, transformative cultural project.

“This is a hugely exciting p roject that will bring about real, positive and lasting changes for the entire community in the Bogside, Fountain & Bishop Street Urban Village Area of Derry.”

The new Derry Peace Process museum will boost footfall and income for local tourism providers and other heritage attractions including the Museum of Free Derry, the Siege Museum and Aras Colmcille, Linda McKinney said.

She added that they will be collaborating closely with local tour guides, hospitality sector and the other heritage providers ‘to promote the heritage offer in the Bogside and wider city’.

The new project is one of five Urban Village Area areas being supported by The Executive Office across the North.

Joan O'Hara, Director of Urban Villages Initiative, said: "The Executive Office is delighted to see work beginning on this transformative good relations project at the Gasyard Centre, which will bring about a greatly enhanced community provision for the local area.

"The Executive Office's Urban Villages Initiative aims to improve good relations and develop thriving places, and through the funding provided will support this well-known landmark in the city to create a new museum that will engage people and encourage better social interaction, and bring improved support services, including education and training opportunities, and health programmes for all."“The new exhibition space’s audio and visual archive will reflect the local community’s perspective on the past,” said Mukesh Sharma, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland.

"It will connect into the wider story and help to deepen understanding of the key events of the period.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £500,000 to the Gasyard Development Trust for the fitout, interpretation and promotion of the new heritage centre."

Mayor Sandra Duffy said the funding “will not only transform this important community facility but it will create safer and thriving places for visitors and residents”.

The project is aimed at building on the existing good relations to enable communities to becoming thriving places and create better facilities and resources for children and young people,” she said.

Patricia Lavery, Head of Community Arts and Education at the Arts Council, meanwhile commented: "It is fantastic to see work begin today on the ambitious renovation and extension plans at the Gasyard Centre. For so many people within this community, the Centre is a vital and vibrant hub, a gateway to the arts and a place to come together to engage in a wide range of activities and classes.

“The renovation works will not only help to modernise and transform the facilities here but, importantly, increase opportunities for local people to access and experience the many benefits the arts brings into our lives."

Welcoming the project, the Department for Communities Permanent Secretary Colum Boyle said: “I am delighted that the Department for Communities is able to support the delivery of this important capital project. In addition to the benefits that will be delivered to the arts, this project will deliver a range of positive impacts right in the heart of the local community.”