PROGRESS REPORT
JUNE 2011
Application Aims
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
To involve the community in using their built and environmental heritage to create jobs and prosperity for the
future.
To improve the sports facilities in the village, so much a part of its heritage (in partnership with Strabane
District Council).
To introduce tourism into Sion Mills, initially using the Recreation Club (a B1 listed building) as a Visitors
Centre, but eventually the restored Sion House stables with Tearoom.
To create a Heritage Trail.
To create jobs – tour guides; home caterers; arts and crafts etc.
To have a film made of the Sion Mills story to show visitors and as a marketing tool. (Cost £24,000).
To collect oral archives (partnered with the schools).
Application’s List of Tasks necessary to achieve Aims
1. Fund raising for Community heritage and related projects in the
Village (SMBPT has 41 listed buildings and a large Conservation Area
within our remit).
Achieved: £250,00 EU grant from ARC NW towards £1.5m project to restore
Sion House stable block plus £25,000 match funding from Trust’s share of
joint funding from Ulster Garden Villages for roof of same. The Pilgrim Trust
are funding the restoration of the clock tower.
SMBPT submitted a joint application for £890,000 to Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF) with HEARTH of Belfast, and have received confirmation that our
application has progressed to Stage 2 - a 6 to 12 month development phase for which there is
£153,000. £38,000 of this goes directly to SMBPT to include the recruitment of an Activities Officer
to develop the heritage education programmes, including salary and recruitment costs, and £9000
for volunteer and committee expenses.
Images of Stables 2007
2. Restoring and regenerating Recreation Club as a Visitors Centre.
Available to visitors on weekdays until new Visitors Centre completed in restored Sion House stables
in 2012.
3. On standby to help with the regeneration of Herdmans Mill and the Conservation Area in
both an advisory capacity and in whatever practical way possible. (Herdmans Ltd and the
developer’s London architects – Heber-Percy & Parker - have submitted their application for
Planning Permission for the Mill in July 08)
Planning permission not yet granted, but Trust has been in discussions with the developer’s
executives, who now are aware of our work to date and the help we could give them.
4. Appointing a new, dynamic, Trust Director.
Celia Ferguson, former Trust Director and now a Trustee, has been managing administration
voluntarily until we can afford to employ someone again, but now widowed and with Parkinsons, it is
too much for her to cope with. Much effort is being made to source funding to employee a full time
Trust CEO to relieve Mrs Ferguson from her voluntary duties.
5. Overseeing completion of Workspace Units and managing all payments of funds to the
Contractors and monitoring the Project.
Completed, but we were informed by the District Council in June last year that Manor Architects
had failed to comply with Planning Conditions and should have done an Environmental Health
Survey before commencing the project. Manor Architects has since changed hands, but accepted the
liability. Incredibly, we are still awaiting the Planners final go-ahead after this Environmental
Health Survey and Report was completed last August/September and gave an all clear as regards
any danger to human health. The Council wants more tests done and we await the decision of NI
Environment Agency whether this is necessary or not. We have withheld the final payment of approx.
£3,000 to the Architects (haven’t drawn it down from the NI Environment Agency) until they have
sorted out the problem. We have a deadline of July 1st to get final comments to the planning
services, which should hopefully conclude the project and free the Trust to let the premises and gain
some income.
6. Assisting Herdmans Holdings Ltd in finding tenants and managing the Workspace Units
HHL now exists only in name and property and is no longer able to fulfil this role and will shortly
relinquish their sub-lease of the Units from us. This means we can revert to our original Business
Plan and our potential source of income from them is greater, but we have had to shoulder utility
and insurance bills they should have paid and cannot, so the Herdman company owe us money.
7. Using the rents generated by the Workspace Units from 2012 onwards to benefit the
community by using them for administration costs and freeing up any profits made from tourism
to improve and regenerate the heritage and visitor facilities.
On track. Herdmans Ltd. handing back Work Units to Trust.
8. Setting up a new SMBPT office in Mill or village when present one is demolished with Mill
regeneration. The present thought is to have it in the shortly to be restored Sion House stable
block on the main road and for the Trust to run a Gift Shop for the benefit of the Community.
On track – upstairs in stable block. Ready in 2012.
9. Assisting HEARTH Housing Trust and the NI Environment Agency in finding a viable enduse for the compulsorily purchased Sion House stable block.
This Trust is to be the end-user as a Visitors Centre with museum, tearooms, gift shops, Trust Office,
Sion Mills Anglers office and fishing tackle shop, heritage education centre and public lavatories.
Joint project with Hearth lead partner as chosen owners of the building (the first to be compulsorily
purchased in N. Ireland). This is a £1.5 million project funded by ARC NW EU funds (SMBPT), The
Pilgrim Trust and the Headley Trust (HEARTH), Ulster Garden Villages (joint funding) – all
confirmed. We have submitted a joint application to HLF NI and have confirmation that we have
successfully gain first round development funding.
10. Guiding, working with and providing all administrative support to Village Heritage
Committee.
Allowed to lapse by last Trust Administrator – will be reconstituted in autumn 2011 as there are
many new, keen volunteers.
11. Marketing Sion Mills as an important tourist destination.
Serious marketing will start next year for when we have our Visitors Centre
Our current activities include:
Promotion on local radio programmes
Distribution of new pictorial history booklet –Initial print run of 1000.
Sales of historical DVD – first 1000 copies sold, intending 1000 copies.
Website www.sionmills.org established and communication on all publicity material. It is intended to
develop a more targeted website which focuses on tourism, education and heritage. We are in the
process of applying for funding to progress with updating the website.
One of our Trustees is on both the Northern Ireland and the Irish Board of Coach Operators and
they are crying out for interesting places to stop with the necessary facilities – Sion straddles the
main A5 Dublin-Derry & Donegal trunk road, shortly to be upgraded to dual-carriageway. The N.
Ireland coach companies are on stand-by for 2012 for away-days to Sion Mills.
One of our trustees is a director on the Board of Sperrins Tourism committee
www.sperrinstourism.com, who are active in promoting the region nationally and internationally.
The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland www.ihai.ie are keen to work with and support the
restoration and regeneration of Sion Mills. This is interest them and from Tourism Ireland to
progress Sion Mills conservation area to a recognised World Heritage site. This is the long term
vision of the Trust and we are delighted to have the support of national tourism bodies to help
deliver our vision into a reality.
Image of the Sion Mills Booklet
12. Organising training and facilitating tour guides, home caterers, etc.
Have completed one “Welcome Visitors” course run by Sperrins Tourism to date which gives us an
adequate source of tour guides to date. More training needed in 2012.
13. Facilitating educational experience for schools visits; educational packs etc
Part of joint application submitted to HLF for new Visitors Centre in restored stables, Dr Anthony
McCann of the University of Ulster has written an ambitious and exciting heritage education policy
which will be in the spirit of Sion Mills. He has like-minded colleagues who have offered to give
voluntary help with the Development Phase of the HLF application, and we have been offered an
office in the city centre which Dr McCann will manage on our behalf until our new office in the
restored stables is ready. He has also secured two capable master students who are joining the
trust for the summer 2011 to work on the educational policy of the SMBPT.
14. Facilitating Stakeholder Development of Belfast, who organise visits and workshops of
cross-community groups of adults from opposing hard-line areas in the east of NI and want to
come to Sion Mills to learn how an integrated community was set-up and has been sustained here
for 170 years, and see how the other half lives – a new experience for most of them.
Part of joint application submitted to HLF is for heritage education based in new Visitors Centre.
Additional Achievements
15. Facilitating the enhancement of community sport and recreation facilities
Successful in Stage 1 of application for funding up to £200,000from Sports NI to upgrade the playing
fields for Sion Mills youth and adult soccer teams.
16. Ulster Historical Foundation book on the Herdman family story
A coffee table book is being written by Jonathan Hamill and published by the Ulster Historical
Foundation in time to be launched before Christmas 2011. It tells the remarkable story of the
Herdman family’s work in economic development for Ulster from the 18th centuary to the present
day. The recommendation retail price is £20, our initial print run is 2000.
17. West Donegal Book
Collaborating on a book of the Herdman family’s huge contribution to the economic development of
The Rosses and Islands from the 1880s to 1934, including more than 200 unique photographs in the
possession of the Trust’s founder, Celia Ferguson. The book will be launched late in 2011 and so
much interest has been raised that more than 40 photograph albums have been procured by the
National Library of Ireland, who would like to have the rest of our extensive collection of Sion Mills
archives, so that together they tell the whole story of Sion Mills.
18. Co-operation with Strabane District Council
Practical help as above and support from all political parties on the Council for the Trust’s efforts to
restore and regenerate Sion Mills, though sadly in N Ireland local authorities have very limited
funds to dispense.
19. Voluntary marketing and communication work
Ruth O’Dowd www.ruthodowd.com has been helping SMBPT on a voluntary basis for an intern
period. Her professional background is in marketing and business development, but she has also
worked in tourism and ecological areas over the past number of years. She has the enthusiasm and
ability needed for us to want to employ her in an administrative capacity, however, unless we are
successful at securing some non-specific funding in the short term, our fear is that she will have left
the area in search of paid employment.