The Workspace Group Looks to the Future
June 16, 2016
It is now more than 30 years since a small group of individuals in Draperstown encouraged some 170 members of the local community to invest funds in a project to buy the former shirt factory building on the Tobermore Road and convert it into units for businesses in the hope that this would help the local economic situation and reduce unemployment.
Thirty years on that initial project has grown and developed into what is a very successful approach to local community and economic development in The Workspace Group. The Workspace Group is a ‘social enterprise’ which aims to generate profit through a number of businesses and use the surplus profit to invest in the local community. Some of our projects include building and running a recreation centre in Draperstown, providing an After School Club for local school children and offering local community and voluntary groups small grants through the Workspace Community Fund.
The 170 people who gave loans to the company are The Workspace Group’s members and have varying levels of involvement ranging from having the right to vote at our Annual General Meeting through to those who are appointed as a voluntary Director of the company. What we wants to do now, is to ensure that our membership continues going forward and that our members have an opportunity to play a real part in guiding and directing the work of Workspace over the next 30 years – hence we are looking to add to their membership.
Laurence O’Kane, Chairman of The Workspace Group advises “Workspace is a dynamic organisation which has achieved so much in the past 30 years, we want to ensure that our important community and economic development work continues in our local area and the best way to do this is by bringing on board the next generation of members from in or around the Draperstown area.”
If you want to find out more or are interested in becoming a member of The Workspace Group call into the Draperstown office or download an application form from www.theworkspacegroup.org/new-members/.
Laurence O’Kane, Chairman, The Workspace Group with original members of the Workspace Group Lily McCormack and Roisin Murray (L-R).
