Update -The Green Community Hub for People, Plants and Pollinators

Our Green Community Hub project is blooming nicely, with all six workstreams making great progress this month 🌱

• Stories of the Glebe: Una Hagan and her team are uncovering the rich history of the site—who lived here before 1975, what life looked like, and even how many Glebes exist across the island of Ireland. We can’t wait to share what they discover.

• Ecology in action: With the arrival of drier weather, our Ecology Consultants have begun surveying species across the Glebe. Early highlights include a thriving Parliament of Rooks and the welcome return of our first pollinators. A promising start! Discover what we’ve spotted so far here (link to biodiversity Celia document Biodiversity Survey Sheet SpouncerEcology 2026-03 Birds_Bees.png

• Get involved: We’re planning a range of upcoming engagement days which will include activities from butterfly counting to food foraging—so there’ll be plenty of ways to take part. Stay tuned for dates coming very soon.🦋

• Have your say: Our community survey is now live! After successfully testing a pilot version, we’re inviting you to help shape the future of the Glebe. Complete the survey by 15 May 2026 HERE:
  https://bit.ly/shape-survey-result

          Prefer a paper copy or have any other questions?

          Contact Alison Matthews, Green Community Hub Project Coordinator at Glebe House.
Email: alison@glebehouseni.org
Mobile: 07879 558498
Return to: Glebe House, Bishops Court Rd, Downpatrick BT30 7NZ

• Working together locally: We’ve been meeting with the local Residents’ Associations to build strong connections, create meaningful synergies, and better understand the needs and priorities of the wider community. These conversations are helping shape the project as it grows.

• Spreading the word: We’ve refreshed our hall noticeboards, introduced a QR code to make newsletter sign-up quick and easy, and created a clearer weekly activities poster to improve accessibility. We’re also exploring new and engaging ways to share our findings with the wider community—watch this space!