Colin Glen Trust is a registered charity formed in 1989 to take responsibility for the management and development of the Colin Glen River Valley , a large part of which was previously a landfill site.
The Colin Glen Forest Park is now a beautiful wooded river glen in the heart of West Belfast attracting over 250,000 visitors each year. The park comprises of 200 acres of scenic woodland, river, open grassland, waterfalls and wildflower areas
The Trust promotes the conservation and development of the natural environment in and around the Glen. The Trust’s mission also includes
* Provision of leisure facilities
* Creation of employment and the provision of training
* Promotion of integration and cross community involvement in all of its activities
In 1993 the Trust undertook the management of the old Dunmurry golf course now known as the Colin Valley golf course, providing 40,000 rounds of golf annually. The Trust turned a loss making venture into a profitable business, whilst protecting valuable green space.
Within the park the Trust offers the following,
* A Ranger Service
* Education service
* Volunteering service
* New Deal scheme
All of which are aimed at creating a better environment for the wider community.
Among the many awards won by the Trust are
* British Urban Regeneration Award
* N.I. Travel and Tourism Award
* RDS Irish Forestry Award
* AIB Better Ireland Award
The Future.....
Looking to the future the Trust are striving to become entirely self funding and a model of social enterprise and sustainable developments.
Dynamic and committed management by the voluntary board are making great strides towards this goal.
In Colin Valley golf course, Colin Glen Landscapes and New Deal Training, the Trust has current sources of income.
Riverside Golf Driving Range and The Woodland Café are projects currently under development
Hydro electricity generation within the Park is at an advanced stage of planning. The hydro scheme is projected to generate over £50k of green electricity annually.
Synthetic floodlit sports facilities on lands adjacent to the golf course are planned.
In the medium to long terms plans exist to develop a recycling plant, build a new forest park centre and to establish a tree and shrub production facility.
The Trust has come a very long way before its 20th birthday but will continue on it’s journey of making a real difference to peoples lives by vision, imagination, skill and sheer hard work for many years to come.
For more information please visit www.colinglentrust.org or call 028 90 614115
