Concerns over disabled events
MORE than 100 disabled people fear that a unique club may be forced to close.
Two events in the Cathedral Quarter — one a monthly disco and the other a weekly social club — are aimed at the disabled and those with learning difficulties.
Up to 150 people are said to attend the monthly Black Moon disco. Around a dozen also gather every Wednesday afternoon for another club called Kidnap Wednesdays.
But these events will disappear if the Black Box, which hosts them, shuts its doors.
Its management warn that changes to funding, as well as the opening of the new Metropolitan Arts Centre on April 21, jeopardises the £25,000 annual grant from the Arts Council which it needs to survive.
A decision on whether to renew their grant is due sometime next month.
If their application is rejected and the club shuts, it will spell trouble for those disabled residents who depend on it, said Jayne McStay, 38, volunteer co-ordinator for the Now Project on the Springfield Road, which helps get those with disabilities back into work.
She said: “It would be a disaster if it were to close. It’s crucial – it’s just a safe environment.
“On Wednesdays they know there’ll be like-minded people there to go and mingle with.
“There’s the comfort that they know the area, and the staff are excellent. You’re in the middle of Belfast, and it’s one of the fanciest venues: it’s not a day centre.”
Asked if the events like Black Moon and Kidnap Wednesday would not just move elsewhere, she told the News Letter: “It’s taken a year to establish itself there. To me, somewhere else I think would take a long, long time to establish.”
Among those who attend the events are former hospital laundry worker Mary Coyle. The 68-year-old from the Castlereagh area, who suffers from learning disabilities, said: “I like going there to meet new people and make friends – I get to see my old friend there too. I’ve been there lots of times.”
Sarah Jones, 31, assistant manager at the Black Box, which is a charity as well as music venue, said: “Once a month, there’s a disco for people with learning difficulties, where about 150 people attend.
“They come from far and wide. The age range is from 18 to 65: the whole gamut. There was a girl here who’d tell me how she used to go to another bar, but it wasn’t appropriate to go there. People didn’t understand and would act inappropriately, to put it politely.
“We wanted to create a place that’s safe. The whole idea is to have a non-day centre feel to it. It’s a proper night out – it’s not patronising.”
Linda Laverty, 35, group facilitator for the Skyway Club, a group based at the Ormeau Road’s Ballynafeigh Community Development Association, for people with learning difficulties, said: “There’s nowhere that I can think of that has that atmosphere.”
The Arts Council said in a statement: “All elements of the Black Box application for Arts Council 2012/2013 Annual Funding Programme will be carefully considered during the assessment procedure. The Black Box, along with all organisations which applied for an award, will be notified of decisions in March.”
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
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