Grow the Glens’ new Innovation Centre helps people to work locally and can be a model for all rural communities in Northern Ireland

A new state-of-the-art Innovation Centre, developed on the site of a former police station, has been officially opened in Cushendall.

The opening is the culmination of years of work by ‘Grow the Glens’, a community-based organisation that has worked with a committed group of local businesses and political representatives, to secure funding to transform the old and disused former police station, into an Innovation Centre that will provide opportunities for people to work locally.

Through the delivery of new jobs, working spaces and digital connectivity, it is anticipated that the centre can help to attract and maintain the locally-based population who would previously have moved to cities in search of employment.

The group have said that they hope the project will be a model for rural communities in Northern Ireland and that it will serve as a beacon of hope for the future.

Involved since the inception of the project is Cushendall native and former Antrim hurler, Neil McManus. Neil has settled down and started a family in Cushendall and this project has been a passion for him.

Neil said: “I’ve grown up in this community and played my sport here for many years. Bringing an old disused building back to life through this superb modern facility is really going to be a fantastic asset to our community. Working together to make this place a hub for our people, to keep them living and working in an area that they love and that they were raised in, is a special achievement. It symbolises a new beginning and I’m proud to be able to live and raise my family here.

“What we have created here can be a model for other communities and government partnerships. This hub isn’t just about a building, it’s a place where entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses can come together, to collaborate, innovate, and grow. There is no limit to its potential.”

Grow the Glens is a group made up of local businesspeople who came together with the aim of fostering community growth and development in Cushendall. The group hope this development will have a positive impact on the community, as well as attracting new residents, businesses, and investment to the area.

Liam O’Hagan, chairperson of Grow the Glens, added: ‘Today is only possible due to the perseverance and determination shown by the team, as well as the countless hours of work dedicated to making this project a reality. We are so grateful for the unwavering support received from the local community and the public representatives who got behind the project.

"This hub offers value for money and highlights the importance of equitable community and government funding for towns and rural areas alike, giving everyone the option to live and work where they grew up and to raise the next generation, knowing that there is a future there for them.”

Grow the Glens has already planned Phase 2 of the Innovation Centre which, as well as adding another 15 desk spaces, will increase the potential for community use, the group sees the Cushendall Innovation Centre as a catalyst for future economic development in the area.