Seacourt Print Workshop, a mainstay of Northern Ireland’s arts and cultural community since 1981, has unveiled its newly renovated premises in the heart of Bangor’s town centre. Situated in a former bank building, the transformed space now serves as an accessible and vibrant hub for printmaking, fostering creativity and community engagement.
Funded by a loan from Community Finance Ireland (CFI), this redevelopment marks a significant milestone for the arts charity. The updated 7,500 square-foot facility now accommodates a diverse range of printmaking techniques, including etching, screen printing, and lithography, while offering expanded services such as free monthly workshops and open days aimed at fostering inclusion.
Emma Drury, Director of Seacourt Print Workshop said,
“We’re proud to play a part in Bangor’s cultural regeneration and our central location makes us more visible and accessible, enabling us to double our programming and support the community in new ways.”
Emma Drury CEO Seacourt Print Workshop and Phelim Sharvin Head of Community Finance (NI) on site at the newly opened Seacourt Printing Workshop facility in Bangor Northern Ireland. Photo credit: Brian Morrison
Phelim Sharvin, Head of Community Finance Ireland NI, commended Seacourt for its transformative vision:
“This project aligns perfectly with our mission of driving positive social change. By supporting Seacourt, we’re helping to create a vibrant, inclusive space that enriches the community.”
The project’s success highlights the collaborative potential of social finance, arts, and community resilience.
If you want to take part in any of the upcoming events at Seacourt you will find everything you need here.
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Community Finance Ireland are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark Accreditation. This prestigious accreditation demonstrates that the company is creating real benefits for people and the planet, and is committed to social impact.
The Social Enterprise Mark is an independently assessed accreditation that recognizes organizations that are operating as social enterprises. This means that they are using business to create social and environmental impact, and are committed to reinvesting their profits back into their mission.
Community Finance Ireland’s CEO, Donal Traynor, expressed his excitement about achieving the Social Enterprise Mark accreditation, saying:
“We are thrilled to have received this accreditation, which confirms our ongoing commitment to creating positive social impact. At Community Finance Ireland, we believe that social finance can play a critical role in building a more equitable and sustainable future for everyone. Our recent Social Value Impact report and findings further demonstrate how social finance is working to achieve great results, and we are committed to continuing this important work.”
The Social Enterprise Mark is awarded by Social Enterprise Mark CIC, the leading global authority on social enterprise. To achieve the accreditation, Community Finance Ireland underwent a rigorous assessment process that evaluated the company’s social and environmental impact, governance structures, and financial sustainability.
Community Finance Ireland’s Compliance Officer Stephanie NIcholl and CEO Donal Traynor awarded the Social Enterprise Mark Accreditation April 2023
As a registered social enterprise, Community Finance Ireland is committed to using finance as a tool for positive social change. The company provides affordable loans to community and voluntary organizations, social enterprises, and charities across Ireland, helping to build stronger communities and support important social causes.
As well as recognising Community Finance Ireland’s dedication to achieving high quality social impact, holding the mark demonstrates our commitment to effective good governance controls, stakeholder engagement, financial transparency and ethical and good business practices.
Stephanie Nicholl, Compliance Officer at Community Finance Ireland said:
“The Social Enterprise Mark recognises and builds the capabilities of social enterprises as sustainable businesses that are dedicated to maximising social impact. The Mark recognises the value of our social impact, specifically with our clients that we work with in the Social Enterprise sector across areas such as sport, arts and heritage, community organisations, faith and church groups and the workspace provision.”
Stephanie further explains the importance of the recognition in the short video below:
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– £18 million social finance provided to Northern Ireland voluntary sector since 2016
Belfast charity, Kids Together, has purchased a new premises on the city’s Springfield Road, with £150,000 support from social finance providers, Community Finance Ireland. The purchase will allow Kids Together to provide services for 408 children and people with complex needs each year, in response to increasing demands from local health trusts.
Since 2016, Community Finance Ireland has supported 166 social enterprises and organisations from across the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, with a total of £18.1 million in social finance loans.
Phelim Sharvin, Head of Community Finance Ireland, Northern Ireland said:
“The rate at which Kids Together has expanded its service offering is indicative of the team’s professionalism and expertise and their desire to respond positively to the ever-increasing needs of individuals and their families. We’re delighted to support the next phase of Kids Together’s growth and development. Community Finance Ireland has provided £18million in social finance to Northern Ireland’s voluntary sector since 2016 and we’re proud that almost a third of that has gone to organisations like Kids Together, which delivers Community Services, Childcare and Health and Wellbeing services.”
Kids Together was established in 2005 and delivers wide-ranging childcare, youth programmes and specialist care/therapy support for children and young adults with complex disabilities. Service users are located across the Greater Belfast area and growing demand from Health Trusts and families created the need for a new property.
Photographed at the new Kids Together Springfield Road premises in Belfast Orlaith Bradley and Sharon McCloskey, Kids Together and Phelim Sharvin Head of Community Finance Ireland’s Northern Ireland business.
Mairead McCrea who founded the charity explains:
“The demand for our services has risen every year since 2005 and the acquisition of the new property, which includes a lift for service users, is a great opportunity for Kids Together to help secure our future and deliver key services on-site . The social finance support and advice from the team at Community Finance Ireland that allowed us to move forward with the of our new property, has been invaluable. Phelim and the team really understand and encourage our plans for growth and development. We couldn’t have made the new property purchase and therefore extend our services without their help and advice.”
– £18 million social finance provided to Northern Ireland voluntary sector since 2016
Ballymoney-based, Compass Advocacy Network has purchased and developed a social farm which provides training and leisure opportunities for over 50 people with learning disabilities each weekday, with support from social finance providers, Community Finance Ireland. A total loan value of £350,000 enabled the purchase of the 11-acre site and farmhouse outside Ballymoney, and the subsequent installation of phase-3 electricity and upgrade of the farm’s outbuildings.
Since 2016, Community Finance Ireland has supported 166 social enterprises and organisations from across the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, with a total of £18.1 million in social finance loans.
Peter Smyth, Client Relationship Manager at Community Finance Ireland said:
“Each time we meet the team at Compass Advocacy Network, we are blown away by their innovation and ambition. At Community Finance Ireland we support a huge range of community and volunteer-led projects from sports projects to social enterprises to faith-based groups, but they all start with an ideas and a group of people who want to make it work.
The opportunities that Compass Advocacy Network provide for vulnerable adults from across multiple sites are incredible and we were delighted to support the purchase and development of Lislagan Farm.
We are proud to have made almost a third of our £18 million social finance available to organisations like Compass Advocacy Network, which deliver Community Services, Childcare, Health and Wellbeing and Education and Training.”
Photographed at Compass Advocacy Network’s Lislagan Farm are Peter Smyth, Client Relationship Manager for Community Finance Ireland, Clint Langley, Compass Advocacy Service User and Janet Schofield, Chief Executive of Compass Advocacy Network.
The Compass Advocacy Group was established in 1997 to provide education, learning and employment opportunities to vulnerable adults. CAN’s bases provide social and leisure opportunities for over 50 people with learning disabilities per day, 5 days a week in Ballymoney, Ballymena and Coleraine.
Janet Schofield, Chief Executive at Compass Advocacy Network explained:
“As a user-led organisation, the people we support are at the heart of our decision making. As well as social and leisure opportunities, our social enterprises which include recycling, upcycling and retail, give our users real work-based training towards employment.
The social finance support and advice from the team at Community Finance Ireland that allowed us to purchase and carry out improvement works at Lislagan Farm, has been invaluable. Peter and the team really understand and encourage our plans for growth and development. We couldn’t have made our plans for the farm a reality without them.”
At Community Finance Ireland we take a hands-on approach when it comes to working with our clients. We put people first. When our clients call with a query, they hear a familiar voice at the end of the phone. They know the face who is at the other end of an email. Our Change-Makers are on the ground, supporting communities, meeting clients and making an impact in their regions.
We speak finance but we hear people – So, we thought you might like to get to know them a bit better.
This week’s Change-Maker is Phelim Sharvin, Client Executive from Strangford, County Down. Working with clients likeForkhill Childcare and Aghavea Parish Church in Northern Ireland, Phelim is passionate about local area regeneration and all matters relating to community development.
Just two of Phelim’s clients: Forkhill Pre-School (Left) and Aghavea Parish Church (Right)
What did your journey to Community Finance Ireland look like?
I joined the team at Community Finance Ireland in 2002, before that I worked in the private sector. I studied European Regional Development, Economics and Business Management at degree and master’s level. In the last few years, I’ve supplemented this with Charter Banker accreditation and a Professional Diploma in Banking. My time working in Community Finance Ireland has given me an extensive knowledge of the Social Finance sector, in particular, Credit, Risk and Portfolio Management. I’ve been responsible for the CFI Northern Ireland portfolio since 2007 and have worked on developing loan products and funds in the areas of local sports, childcare, green energy and start-up social enterprise.
What does your current client base look like? Are there sectors you expect to see or want to see growth in?
Our clients in Northern Ireland represent a broad mix of sectors ranging from sports clubs and faith-based organisations to training providers, green energy schemes and health & social care providers, and are spread across virtually all rural & urban communities in Northern Ireland.
Sports, Social Enterprise, Faith and Workspace are the largest sectors represented, with some clients being long-established and others are more recently formed. Due to the pandemic and other changes in society I can see health & social care growing in the future.
Do you have a client that, in your opinion, best demonstrates the impact Community Finance Ireland can have?
For me, it would have to beArtspace CIC. It’s a specialist facility that currently caters for up to 40 people with complex support needs. A placement fee is paid to Artspace by WHSCT for providing bespoke support to individuals with challenging physical and mental disabilities. CFI have provided finance on three separate occasions to Artspace and helped it grow and deliver its essential service to its user group.
How do you switch off from work? What are your hobbies and interests?
I am interested in Sport, local history and Community Development. I have long history of being involved in a range of voluntary management committees including prominent positions in my local GAA Club, local Community Association and Festival Committee. And in my spare time I have coached GAA and Soccer across a range of age groups from U8 to Senior level.
Now you know a little more about us, we’d like to hear about you.
If you and your team have a dream that could make a difference in your community, we’re here to listen. Whether you want to change something by solving a problem or creating an opportunity, we want to hear what you have to say.
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At Community Finance Ireland we take a hands-on approach when it comes to working with our clients. We put people first. When our clients call with a query, they hear a familiar voice at the end of the phone. They know the face who is at the other end of an email. Our Change-Makers are on the ground, supporting communities, meeting clients and making an impact in their regions.
We speak finance but we hear people – So, we thought you might like to get to know them a bit better.
Our third Change-Maker takes us to Northern Ireland and to Peter Smyth. Based in Moira, County Down. Peter covers clients across Northern Ireland, working closely with the likes of Forkhill Childcare and Aghavea Parish Church.
Just two of Peter’s clients: Forkhill Pre-School (Left) and Aghavea Parish Church (Right)
What did your journey to Community Finance Ireland look like?
I studied Economics and Accounting at Queens University Belfast and went on to train as an accountant. From there, I worked as a Company Accountant for a large haulage firm before moving into the private banking sector. I spent 28 years working for an international financial institution in various roles such as Head of Invoice Finance, Business Banking Manager, District Manager and Head of Risk & Operations, before joining the Community Finance Ireland team in 2017.
What does your current client base look like? Are there sectors you expect to see or want to see growth in?
I have a very mixed and varied client base ranging from unincorporated organisations to charities and more sophisticated social enterprises. My clients include Local Enterprise Agencies, sports clubs, childcare organisations, community hubs, faith-based groups and mental health and wellbeing groups.
Coming out of the pandemic I would expect to see a growth in the number of organisations involved in addressing mental health and wellbeing issues.
How do you switch off from work? What are your hobbies and interests?
I am heavily involved in my local church as Church Treasurer and office bearer and also serve on the Board of 2 other faith-based charities.
I am a keen soccer fan and an avid follower of Leeds United and Glenavon. I serve on the Committee ofLurgan BBOBwhere my son is team captain and I spend every Saturday watching him play.
I walk a lot with my miniature dachshund and enjoy my annual fortnight’s holiday in Majorca each year. I also enjoy a number of weekend breaks with my wife. I also became a Granda in February 2020 and love spending time with my new granddaughter Annie Joy!
Now you know a little more about us, we’d like to hear about you.
If you and your team have a dream that could make a difference in your community, we’re here to listen. Whether you want to change something by solving a problem or creating an opportunity, we want to hear what you have to say.
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