UTOPIA - Take 5 Winners - on a bit of a high

What a fantastic couple of weeks it has been for our Big Lottery Fund NI Reaching Out to Older People Utopia Project at Upper Andersonstown Community Forum in Tullymore Community Centre.

From Monday 4th May, we celebrated our 4th Birthday week with a brilliant drama from The Sky's the Limit Drama Group, an exhibition of the paintings created in our two weekly Art classes and an exhibition of the varied craftwork created by our Chatty Crafts Club. We finished the celebrations with a lovely Coffee Morning and Hamper Ballot  appreciated by all in attendance.

On Tuesday 5th May,  representatives of Upper Andersonstown Community Forum went to the City Hall to receive our Take 5 Legacy Award from The Belfast Strategic Partnership in recognition of the work UTOPIA  do in promoting community health & wellbeing and in supporting the Belfast Strategic Partnership’s Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing message: Give, Be active, Connect, Keep Learning and Take notice. By offering support and encouragement to older people in our local community and by enabling them to engage with activities offered by the project, the organisation strives to enhance well-being and help them live healthy, independent lives, continuing to be involved as valued members of their community.

We were pleased to have our efforts publicly recognised with Upper Andersonstown Community Forum UTOPIA Project being one of six community and voluntary groups awarded a ‘Take 5 Legacy Award’ for delivering and supporting the ‘Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing’ across Belfast. This was presented by Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Arder Carson in the Lord Mayor's Parlour.

Then, what a fantastic day we had on Friday 13th, (lucky for some) when our Community Fundraiser event raised a staggering £1310, which will be used to provide extra social and learning opportunities for our UTOPIA Over 60s age group in our local area. Thanks so much to everyone who attended and for your outstanding generosity. A big thank you to our local business people  for their very generous Ballot prizes. They were very much appreciated. Thanks also to the wonderful staff and volunteers here at Upper Andersonstown Community Forum and to the people who use the Centre and to your families - you were all brilliant on the day and in the assistance given over the last several weeks. Thanks to everyone who rolled up their sleeves to help out - far too many to mention everyone by name. Well done everyone !