Irvinestown Trustee Enterprise Company
Irvinestown Trustee Enterprise Company Ltd (ITEC) was the Northern Ireland regional winner of Enterprising Britain 2007. It was also highly commended by the judging panel in the national finals.
ITEC has been recognised for its success in increasing economic development and employment opportunities in the town of Irvinestown and surrounding area.
ITEC is a non-profit company founded in 1992 to tackle economic problems by actively engaging the community in job creation and working in partnership with other agencies to target and address social need and improve the conditions of community life. Working with a pool of “voluntary expertise”, ITEC uses this ‘human resource capital’ to design, implement and evaluate economic development.
A small rural community in Northern Ireland, Irvinestown has a long and credible history of community activism. ITEC was formed in 1992 from the Fair and Market Trustees, who in turn were established in 1908 to act for and on behalf of the people of Irvinestown.
In its current guise, ITEC has developed a series of community led regeneration initiatives which, to date, has created over 50,000 sq. ft of fully occupied workspace and generated in excess of 200 jobs across 25 businesses varying from manufacturing, to retail and service. Amongst the businesses operating from ITEC are a niche market textile industry, a timber frame construction company and a rural transport project.
Stakeholder involvement is fundamental to ITEC success. ITEC directly reinvests profits into social development, supporting focused programmes in relation to alcohol and drug awareness, parenting, elderly care, childcare, community advocacy and disability services. The nucleus for this development is the ARC Centre, a refurbished building based within Sallyswood estate owned and managed by local people, identifying local need and working in partnership with statutory agencies to table responses. The ARC Centre is a true example of effective partnership working, where the local community have created a vision and are translating that vision into a practical reality.
ITEC has now completed four phases of brown field regeneration, the latest of which is the Tullynagarn project, which helped to address problems arising from the closure of the Daintyfit Textile factory with the loss of 130 jobs in February 1999. This closure was part of the general decline of the textile industry, traditionally a major employer in Fermanagh, and was further compounded by the closure of Desmonds in Enniskillen, Sir Richard Arkwrights in Lisnaskea and Desmonds in Irvinestown. At the time of the announcement of job losses, ITEC sent a delegation to the factory to meet representatives of the workforce and management and then made a commitment to assist in any way with the development of an alternative enterprise on the site.
Three years after it closed, the Daintyfit Factory site was redeveloped by ITEC under the name of the Tullynagarn project and 13,000 sq. ft. functional workspace was created. The site is now at full occupancy with six businesses employing 32 people. The removal of derelict sites, bringing redundant buildings back into use, has been a key factor in securing community confidence and attracting inward investment to the North Fermanagh area.
The project was implemented in accordance to Peace II priorities, which are in place in Northern Ireland to encourage contact, dialogue and reconciliation between unionists and nationalists. The organising group was cross community in its make-up and followed in the long tradition of local community co-operation dating back to the establishment of the Fairs and Market Trustees in 1908. ITEC adhered to a model of conflict resolution known as Track Two Diplomacy, promoting engagement, dialogue and participation and ultimately resulting in economic growth. Job creation has been documented as an effective means of reducing paramilitary influence in areas of high disadvantage.
Perhaps the most innovative and ambitious element of the project was the aim to secure significant social reinvestment so that, at the cessation of Peace II funding, the rental income generated by the project could be put back into social development and help to sustain vital community elements such as the ARC Healthy Living Centre.
The Tullynagarn development was officially opened in October 2004 by the then Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment Mr Gardiner, who said: “This facility marks the latest step in the process of regeneration taking place in this area. It is an excellent example of the public and private sectors working in partnership for the benefit of the community.”
ITEC has achieved considerable success in addressing social issues such as the decline in agricultural activity and income, rural decline, dereliction and rural isolation. In doing so, it has demonstrated that, in partnership with strategic initiatives addressing economic decline and promoting sustainable employment, progress is possible. The right level of assistance and encouragement has helped local people to diversify and find new ways to regenerate areas such as Irvinestown and the wider impact of this project in terms of social cohesion; civic pride and community inclusion should not be underestimated.