BeHere is a community-led project using Participatory Action Research (PAR) to explore how the heritage at Mount Stewart can contribute to a positive sense of place and belonging in Ards and North Down. Community members from The Link Family and Community Centre in Newtownards and Kilcooley Women’s Centre in Bangor will act as co-researchers, using creative methodologies and will develop their heritage-related skills to produce a public creative output based on their research. 

BeHere aims to generate robust understandings of how heritage linked to a complex and contested past can contribute to an inclusive sense of belonging. Supported by project partner ArtsEkta and inspired by the historic environment at Mount Stewart, we will use arts and creativity as a tool to explore the following research questions:

• How community creativity linked to heritage sites can help to create an inclusive sense of belonging and social cohesion.
• How community creativity can help build stronger connections between communities in Northern Ireland and their heritage sites, contributing to an authentic and sustainable sense of place.
• How creativity can improve access to culture and heritage among Northern Ireland’s diverse communities, and enhance wellbeing through connections to heritage

Mount Stewart is a neo-classical house and gardens managed by the National Trust five miles from Newtownards and ten miles from Bangor. Despite its proximity, there are social, economic and psychological barriers which hamper its use as a regular heritage asset for the service-users at The Link and Kilcooley. Throughout the project, the participants will visit the site regularly, as well as explore the issues that arise in their own centres.

BeHere runs from September 2025 to August 2026. The outputs include a case study, a policy paper, a podcast episode, and a touring exhibition of the project’s creative work.

ArtsEkta is a multi-award winning cultural organisation that works to develop intercultural relationships at the heart of the community. Bringing together communities of Belfast and beyond, they create projects that inspire audiences to engage with the diversity, tastes, rhythms and sights that make up the multicultural life of Northern Ireland.

Kilcooley Women’s Centre is the leading women’s organisation in Ards and North Down.   The organisation has provided services for women in North Down since 1995 and is a key strategic player in advancing gender equality. They work collaboratively with other agencies towards improved outcomes for all women, children and families and for those who are facing challenging times in their lives, including poverty and disadvantage.  

The Link Family and Community Centre works with vulnerable and at risk individuals, many of whom experience deprivation, exclusion or loneliness. They provide a range of facilities, programmes and support for young people; older people; children and young parents; migrant workers; people experiencing chronic addiction to alcohol; and churches and community groups wishing to engage in community and good relations work.

The National Trust at Mount Stewart. The National Trust as Europe’s largest conservation charity have responsibility of looking after the impressive house, gardens and demesne at Mount Stewart. Their 2025 strategy focuses on ending unequal access to nature, beauty and history.

 

Image: ©ArtsEkta / Carrie Davenport Photography