This is a photo taken at the very first Skainos Board meeting in 2005.

Membership of the Skainos Board is drawn from the main partners in the project, East Belfast Mission and Oaklee Housing, as well as members of the local community in East Belfast and the trustees of the Methodist Church in Ireland.

Contact the Board on info[AT]skainos[dot]org

Sammy Douglas is a local community development worker in East Belfast.

He says,

The Skainos Project is a chapter of the new story that is being written in the regeneration of Inner east Belfast. Over the years it has been tough. Inner East in particular has been severely impacted by ‘the troubles’; many of our young people attained below average results at school, many businesses have struggled and we’ve watched other parts of Belfast thrive and prosper while there has been a widespread feeling here of being neglected and left behind.

But the East of the city is changing – and changing fast. There are signs all around of change and development and the exciting Skainos development will be at the forefront in the transformation and renewal of the Newtownards Road – the gateway to East Belfast.

Contact Sammy on info[AT]skainos[dot]org

The Methodist Church has had a presence on this site since 1826 when Ballymacarrett was a rural suburb of the rapidly growing town of Belfast. One of the quirks of the history of the congregation is that roughly every 50 years or so the church building has been demolished and rebuilt to meet the needs of new eras.

The last such demolition was in 1941 when Nazi bombers searching for the shipyard dropped their bombs early and flattened the church. The current church was rebuilt in 1952 and opened to great rejoicing.

This is Maisie Best one of the oldest members of the congregation at East Belfast who has seen enormous changes in East Belfast during her time here. She says she’ll be sad to see the familiar church going but recognises the need to make changes to the facilities to meet the needs of new generations, just as was done more than 50 years ago.

Contact Maisie on info[AT]skainos[dot]org

This is Niall Sheridan, Director of Operations at Oaklee Housing Association, who are a long-standing partner of East Belfast Mission in meeting the housing needs of people who are homeless.

Niall serves on the Board of Skainos Ltd and brings key expertise in social housing issues, and since the development will feature 31 units of social and affordable housing this expertise is critical to success.

Oaklee Housing Association have been partners with EBM since the mid-80s when EBM began the process of establishing a hostel for people who were homeless. A 22-bed hostel called Hosford House began operation in August 1991.

The Skainos Project marks a new phase in the ongoing relationship. Together EBM, Oaklee and now Skainos have assembled the sites adjacent to the church facilities, providing a coherent landbank of almost 2 acres. Niall says,

This exciting project will act as a catalyst for change in inner East Belfast and assist in addressing the housing needs of people from the area and further afield. Oaklee Housing Association is delighted to play its part in contributing to the success of the project and to continuing the close working relationship with East Belfast Mission’

Contact Niall on info[AT]skainos[dot]org

This is Nial O Neill of Donnelly O’Neill, the lead architect on the project. Nial says,

“The Skainos Project is focused around the needs of the community and the desire to create a new sense of place along the Newtownards Road. The project begins in a new urban civic square for Belfast which is overlooked by community spaces and living accommodation, giving the whole place a contemporary urban atmosphere.”

Contact Nial on info[AT]skainos[dot]org

This is Rev Dr Gary Mason who is the Chairperson of the board of Skainos Ltd, the development company specially established to deliver the project. Gary is also the Superintendent Minister of East Belfast Mission.

In the photo, Gary is standing in the EBM Cafe, which will be replaced in the Skainos development by a brand new community restaurant.

Contact Gary on info[AT]skainos[dot]org

Neil Morris BComm FCA has 20 years experience in financial management and as consultant to charitable agencies throughout Ireland. He qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in Dublin where he worked for five years. He served as Company Secretary and Financial Controller for an international chemical importer and distributor for four years. He also worked as Senior Management Consultant with BDO Binder Hamlyn in Belfast. Since 1989 he has been Lead Consultant of MCS Consulting providing training in financial procedures and policies, management system appraisals, financial systems design and implementation, business and financial planning and computerised financial modelling for forty charities. During this time he has also completed economic appraisals for CCRU, BRO, Probation Board, Sports Council for NI and NI Tourist Board and negotiated contracts with NIHE and Health Trusts.

Contact Neil on neil[DOT]morris[AT]skainos[DOT]org

Allen McCartney BSc MSc CEng FIET has 30 years experience in technical management and project delivery. He has a proven track record in Northern Ireland Electricity as Procurement Director, Head of Home Energy Retail and Grid Control Manager. He has since established his own consultancy business. In 2005 he was appointed by government to the Board of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority. He chairs the Audit Committee with responsibility for independent scrutiny of Governance, Risk Management and Audit matters. He also serves as a Lay Magistrate. He has 30 years experience as a consultant and volunteer in community development. He is coordinator of a major all-Ireland training programme in the Methodist Church.

Contact Allen on allen[DOT]mccartney[AT]skainos[DOT]org

Glenn Jordan BComm BD MBS MTh is director of the Skainos Unit and has 20 years of experience in programme development, communication and leadership in the voluntary sector and has contributed to the formation of NI community relations policy at the direct invitation of the Secretary of State. Since 2004 he has served as a member of the Inner East Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership. He is also a member of the Board of the Churches Community Work Alliance which promotes and supports community engagement among the faith-based bodies in NI. He is a writer and published author who frequently broadcasts on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4. Glenn enjoys sport, especially football, rugby and cycling and blogs from the crookedshore

Contact Glenn on glenn[DOT]jordan[AT]skainos[DOT]org