Sharon McTaggart, co-founder of the Queens Park Women's Group in Glengormley, details how the organisation was established and what receiving the King's Award for Voluntary Service will mean for the group's members and the wider community.
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00:00Hi, I'm Sharon McTaggart, one of the co-founders of Queen's Park Women's Group, and I'm here
00:06to tell the great news that Queen's Park Women's Group have received the King's Award for Voluntary
00:11Services for over the last 15 years of our hard work in Queen's Park Estate.
00:17And can you explain, Sharon, what the group has been doing over the last 15 years, how
00:22it was founded?
00:23For the last 15 years, we started off firstly to try and get women together in Queen's Park,
00:29then we went out and worked alongside other groups in the Glengormley area against anti-social
00:34behaviour to try and bring both communities together.
00:40That worked a treat, and we had the 50-50 programme.
00:43We went from there to women's programmes, training facilities, and just to bring women
00:50out of the house for, to stop them from feeling isolated, and still now to this day we are
00:56working closely with women, and the children have all grown up now that we had in the past
01:02and are thriving, so that's us happy.
01:06And what does the award mean to the group?
01:08Well, the award means that we have been actually recognised for everything that we have done
01:12over the past 15 years, for never once did we think we would get recognition, especially
01:16from the King, and we are so happy that Queen's Park Estate is involved in the King's Award.
01:23And the plans for the future of the group?
01:25How are you going to develop the group?
01:27Well, the group will now get stronger, bigger and better, and hopefully everybody in Queen's
01:33Park is as proud as what we are for getting the King's Award, and we go from strength
01:40to strength.
01:41And finally Sharon, is there any message of thanks that you'd like to give to everybody
01:45who's backed you over the years?
01:46Well, I want to give a massive thank you to the people of Queen's Park Estate who has
01:51supported us over the years, and also Antrim & Newton Abbey Borough Council, Community
01:56Relations Forum and all other community groups that we have worked with in the past because
02:00we couldn't have done the work without you.