Teamwork transforms community farm site in a day

Corporate teamwork transforms Ballymoney community farm site in a day

A North Coast-based charity which supports adults and children with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges has benefitted from a spring makeover with a little help from a squad of over 40 strangers - in just one day.

Members of the team from the ICC Belfast campus and their hospitality partners Pan & Pour, pulled on their overalls and wellies to tackle a mammoth outdoor transformation at Compass Advocacy Network (CAN)'s 11-acre Lislagan Farm in Ballymoney.

CAN was founded over 25 years ago and delivers a range of creative, therapeutic and community based programmes that support participants to build confidence, independence, friendships, wellbeing and life skills.

In 2021, with hearts full of ambition and a limited budget, CAN bought its first property: Lislagan Farm. Their vision was to create something truly special, a social and nature-based hub where CAN’s community can be shared with others, and its activities can give back through social enterprise, horticulture, tourism and hospitality. It is an evolving, large-scale and resource-intensive project which relies on volunteers and funders to make it happen.

Last week, under the direction of SPLASH Projects, a team of enthusiastic volunteers from ICC Belfast and Pan & Pour arrived on site to carry out a dramatic overhaul of the outdoor area of a 200 year old cottage on the site, earmarked for use as accessible accommodation for service users and their families for short breaks, or to be let for private hire to generate income to sustain the charity’s other work.

The group of 40 transformed the outdoor area and gardens through extensive clearing, landscaping and planting, with the installation of seating, tables and child-friendly play areas.

Janet Schofield, CEO of Compass Advocacy Network (CAN) said,

This group of incredible individuals from ICC Belfast have totally transformed this whole area in just one day! What a huge team effort - there’s no way we could have done it without their help.

“Now we can get our cottage and accommodation ready for use by people with complex needs for much-needed short breaks on the farm; and when it’s not in use, we plan to offer it for private holiday lets in this highly sought-after part of Northern Ireland, which will support our other work.”

Rob McConnell, CEO of ICC Belfast said,

“This has been an emotional (and exhausting) project, which has given me immense pride in our ICC Belfast and Pan & Pour teams."

Many of them had absolutely no gardening or DIY experience at all and yet they threw themselves into physical, dirty work, because they could see very clearly what CAN are trying to achieve at Lislagan Farm.

"We’re delighted to have moved them another step closer to realising more of their ambitions for the people who use and rely on and benefit from CAN’s support and care.”

The project was delivered in partnership with SPLASH Projects, specialists in team building projects which make social impact all over the world.

Simon Poole, CEO of SPLASH Projects said,

“We are grateful to have worked with ICC Belfast and the CAN Lislagan Farm project. We tasked them with a mammoth task which required effective team work to make the impact on the local community. The ICC Belfast and Pan & Pour teams over-delivered with energy, enthusiasm and determination to get the job done."

When they saw the scale of the task during the planning brief, they thought it was impossible, but together as a team they did it and have left a lasting impression and legacy for years to come.