Future of formerly at-risk tower house dating to 1800s secured
The future of a formerly at-risk tower house which dates back to the 1800s has been secured.
Culmore Fort in Co Londonderry has been converted for community use and is set to accommodate mental health support for youth in the area, and host meetings for a variety of sports, heritage and cultural organisations.
The work was completed by Culmore Community Partnership thanks to funding of £265,000.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons hailed the move to provide a vital community resource for Culmore and the surrounding area.
'We are seeing more and more communities applying to Village Catalyst and I am pleased that my department is able to support projects where at-risk heritage properties are being revitalised and restored for the benefit of the local community,' he said.
Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said it was part-funded through his department's Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme.
'The programme tackles rural poverty and social isolation by refurbishing neglected community-owned historic buildings for locally identified uses which provide access to services and address core community needs,' he said.
'The provision of a multi-functional community facility in the Culmore area is a significant development and I'm delighted that this project will help support the local rural community for many years to come.'
Culmore Community Partnership chairman Neil Doherty thanked all the funders, which also include the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
He said historically the fort was held by the Crown until 1840, when it and its surrounding lands were sold to The Honourable The Irish Society, who remain its owners to this day.
'We are pleased to share that Culmore Community Partnership (CCP) has now assumed the lease to facilitate the restoration of this historic building and to open it up for wider community use,' he said.
Meanwhile, Una Cooper, strategic manager for the partnership, said they are excited to see the fort go from being a reminder of the past to a 'cornerstone for the future of Culmore'.
'We're preparing to launch vital mental health and emotional wellbeing programmes for children and young people, offering them a safe and supportive environment to thrive,' she said.
'The fort will also become a place for cultural and heritage events that celebrate our community's identity.
'The work at the fort was carried out by dedicated professionals whose craftsmanship and care brought this conservation project to life.
'We would like to extend our thanks to We Build Ireland for their tireless commitment, precision and ability to bring out the best in every stone, beam and brick. Their work has preserved the soul of this fort for generations to come.
'Our architect Mark Hackett's vision and sensitivity to the fort's historic character ensured that every decision respected the past while making room for the future.
'His attention to detail has been nothing short of extraordinary. Culmore Fort has been transformed into a vibrant community space — a place where history meets hope.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
Foot-and-mouth disease contained in Hungary, farm minister says
BUDAPEST, June 6 (Reuters) - Hungary has successfully contained an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, leading to the lifting of European Union restrictions, the country's farm minister Istvan Nagy told local news site in an interview published on Friday. Hungary reported its first case of foot-and-mouth disease for over 50 years in March, leading to infections in five farms near its border with Slovakia and Austria and triggering border closures and the mass slaughter of cattle. "There hasn't been a single new outbreak on the farms for over a month and a half. Disinfection work is ongoing, cleaning is happening at full speed, we're preparing for repopulation at all the sites ... the virus is gone," Nagy said. The farm minister also said that the European Union was lifting restrictions introduced after the outbreak. The disease, which poses no danger to humans, mostly affects cattle and other cloven-hoofed animals like swine, sheep and goats, causing fever and mouth blisters. Outbreaks often lead to trade restrictions and livestock culls. Authorities were still investigating the origins of the outbreak and testing several theories, Nagy said. He reiterated that terrorism had not been ruled out. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff in May suggested a "biological attack" as a possible source of the outbreak, without giving further details. Restrictions have also been eased in Slovakia since May as the country has not seen any fresh outbreaks in recent months. In the Czech Republic, where no cases were reported, remaining measures to prevent the spread across its borders were due to end on Friday.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Skin cancer warning for Devon and Cornwall farmers
A new campaign has been launched to reduce the increasing rates of skin cancer amongst outdoor workers in Devon and figures for 2024/25 show there were 5,728 diagnoses of the condition across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of out of 10 of these were non-melanoma but skin cancer still causes the deaths of around 92 people in the region every year, according to the Peninsula Cancer Alliance (PCA), which works to improve cancer outcomes in the said cancer was the leading cause of death in the South West and farmers and those working in the agriculture sector were at the highest risk of developing skin cancer. Janet Sutton, 73, farms rare breed animals at Land's End, had skin cancer removed from her forehead in December 2024."I stay in the shade, I don't like the heat. It was the last thing I thought I would ever get. I am a lot more careful now," Ms Sutton 73-year-old thought the scab on her forehead was an allergy. It was only when she went to see her GP about something else that the GP referred her for an appointment with had the mark removed just weeks later."I don't hide the fact I have cancer. I find if I speak about mine, other people say, I had that. As farmers, we are very rarely in. You have to more careful." Ms Sutton has previously had throat and breast cancer but she had been clear of cancer for five years before this recent husband, John Sutton, 68 said: "I thought she had had enough cancers not to have anymore. I am more in the sun than she is. "We thought the mark on her forehead was an allergy. It was getting bigger and bigger. But it was quickly sorted. They did take out a large patch of skin."Mr Sutton said he was more careful to wear sunscreen and a hat following his wife's diagnosis. 'Significantly higher' The new campaign will focus on raising awareness among those who work outside, with a particular emphasis on agriculture, farming, and coastal regions, where exposure to UV rays is highest, its organisers said. NHS data shows diagnoses are significantly higher in coastal areas. Among men, it was highest in Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and of the 5,728 diagnoses in the Peninsula 2024/25, 1,950 were in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and 3,778 were in Devon (2024/25 based on the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset (COSD).The PCA said teams would be attending farmers markets, cattle markets and agricultural shows until the part of the campaign, they will hand out reusable squeeze bottles with a carabiner to encourage the use of sunscreen.A carabiner allows outdoor workers to clip on their shorts or trousers for ease of use and able to access while working.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
What is Fusarium graminearum, the fungus US authorities say was smuggled in from China?
Federal prosecutors charged two Chinese researchers on Tuesday with smuggling a crop-killing fungus into the U.S. last summer — charges that come amid heightened political tensions between the two countries and as the Trump administration moves to revoke visas from visiting Chinese students. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud for allegedly bringing the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. Jian, 33, was booked in a Detroit federal court. Liu, 34, is thought to be in China. According to the FBI, Liu had small baggies of the fungus stashed in his backpack when he flew to the U.S. last year and, after claiming ignorance about the plant material inside them, said he was planning to use it for research at a University of Michigan lab where Jian worked and where Liu previously worked. What is Fusarium head blight? Fusarium graminearum causes a disease called Fusarium head blight that can wipe out cereal crops such as wheat, barley and maize and rice — it inflicts $1 billion in losses annually on U.S. wheat and barley crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It isn't the only fungus to cause Fusarium head blight, but it's the most common culprit in the U.S. The fungus infects plants early in the growing season, shriveling wheat grains and blanching crop heads a whitish-tan color. It also causes a toxin to accumulate in wheat kernels that can make them unsafe for people and livestock to eat. Nicknamed 'vomitoxin' because it's most known for causing livestock to throw up, it can also cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and fever in animals and people. Wheat and other grain crops are screened for various toxins, including Fusarium graminearum, before they can be used to feed animals and humans. Farmers have to throw out any infected grains, which can cause devastating losses. 'It's one of the many problems that farmers have to deal with that risks their livelihood,' said David Geiser, a Fusarium expert at Penn State. What are the accusations? Although Jian and Liu are accused of smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the country, the fungus is already prevalent in the U.S. — particularly in the east and Upper Midwest — and scientists have been studying it for decades. Researchers often bring foreign plants, animals and even strains of fungi to the U.S. to study them, but they must file certain permits before moving anything across state or national borders. Studying the genes of a foreign fungus strain, for example, can help scientists learn how it tolerates heat, resists pesticides or mutates. 'We look at variations among individuals just like we do humans,' said Nicole Gauthier, a plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky who studies Fusarium. That said, it's unclear why the Chinese researchers might have wanted to bring that strain of Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. and why they didn't fill out the proper paperwork to do so. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
