Community clean up gives Colin area a fresh coat

Release - 15 February 2022

Local residents from the Colin area of west Belfast have rallied together to remove graffiti and improve the appearance of the area. The volunteers are involved in the Colin Neighbourhood Graffiti Removal Project, an initiative funded by Radius Housing and delivered in partnership with Colin Neighbourhood Partnership and Colin Men's Shed.

Over the Winter months and into Spring 2022, a team of volunteers from the Colin Men’s Shed group set about painting over unwanted graffiti which has been posted in the Brainswell Road, Pantridge Road, Springbank and Twinbrook areas. Radius Housing has provided funds to purchase materials and equipment including gloves, paint and brushes for the participants. The aim of the initiative is to support local residents to be proactive in their local community, responding quickly to remove unwanted graffiti to make it a more inclusive and welcoming place to live.

Radius Housing is a leading social housing provider, managing more than 13,000 homes across Northern Ireland. The Colin Neighbourhood Graffiti Removal Project is one of a series of community improvement and empowerment initiatives Radius is supporting, which help local people take steps to improve their local environments.

Speaking about the project Fiona McAuley, Radius Housing Community Empowerment Co - Ordinator said “We are delighted that Radius Housing are supporting the community in the Colin area in taking positive action to clean up and maintain their local surroundings. We would like to thank the volunteers for their tremendous efforts working on a common goal to improve their environment. It has a transformative impact not only on the physical environment but on the community’s overall well-being. We look forward to continuing to support this important work in the upcoming months.”

Brendan McAteer, Community Safety Officer with the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, added “An area’s appearance is really important as it affects people’s morale and their overall attitude towards it. Offensive and obscene graffiti is not tolerated and it is amazing to see volunteers taking pride in their area and respond to it in a timely manner. We hope this will set a positive example and make people think twice about committing a graffiti offence so we can all enjoy the benefits of living in a clean and welcoming environment.”

ENDS

Blaise Carty

MW Advocate

blaise.carty@mwadvocate.com

028 9026 7072