Holywood community network

03/09/2026

Notice of Postponement – Community Meeting

Unfortunately, due to a number of local councillors, MLAs and other elected representatives being unable to attend the planned meeting on Monday evening, we have made the decision to postpone the meeting.
We will be contacting all relevant parties again by email to arrange an alternative date that is suitable for as many of our local representatives as possible.
We believe it is only right that we give our local representatives another opportunity to attend and engage with our community. Equally, we believe our community deserves the opportunity to have all of its local representatives present, so that residents can ask the important questions that need to be answered and ensure that their concerns are properly heard and addressed.
We appreciate everyone's understanding and patience, and we will provide further details once a new date has been agreed.
Thank you for your continued support

02/09/2026

A few people have been asking us about Mondays meeting, so we thought it would be helpful to provide everyone with an update regarding the emails sent on 17th August concerning attendance at the upcoming meeting.

We have received confirmation from the PSNI and Councillor Stephen Hollywood - Holywood and Clandeboye that they will be attending.

Stephen Dunne MLA and Cllr Lauren Kendall are hoping that they will also be able to attend.

Unfortunately, Martin McRandal will be out of the country, while Cllr Gillian McCollum will be in Dublin attending a meeting and therefore cannot attend, also Alex Easton Independent Unionist will be in Westminster so also can’t attend.

Rachel Woods from Holywood Shared Town has confirmed that she is unable to attend but has kindly offered to see if another member of the board is available to attend on her behalf.

Andrew Muir MLA has also confirmed that he is unable to attend. No reason was provided, and as matters currently stand, there will be no representation from Alliance.

We are still awaiting responses from the following:

Connie Egan MLA
housing
NI Housing Executive
Holywood District Community Council
Redburn loughview community forum
St Colmcille Parish Church
Clanmil Housing Association

Please check your spam folders incase use have missed email

We will continue to follow up with those who have not yet responded and will keep everyone updated as further confirmations are received.
Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to respond and support the meeting

17/08/2026

As previously stated, Holywood Community Network has been in contact with a number of organisations and representatives regarding the recent issues affecting the Holywood community.

Today, we have contacted the following individuals, organisations and community groups and invited them to attend a public consultation with the residents of Holywood:
Alex Easton
Andrew Muir
Martin McRandall
Connie Egan
Radius Housing
Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
Holywood Shared Town
Stephen Dunne
PSNI
Lauren Kendall
Stephen Hollywood
Holywood District Community Council
Redburn Loughview Community Forum
Gillian McCollum
St Colmcille’s Parish Church
Holywood Co-Farm

The meeting will take place at:
Redburn Community Centre
Monday 7 September
7:30pm

This meeting is open to all residents of Holywood, and we are encouraging as many members of the community as possible to attend. Our aim is to ensure that residents have an opportunity to raise their concerns, share their experiences and work collectively towards finding positive solutions for our community.

We would also like to extend an invitation to the following organisations and community groups:
Dunville Heritage Community Gardens
Holywood Resettlement Project
Holywood Old School House Preservation Trust
Redburn Community Church
Holywood Walking for All

If anyone has contact details for any of the organisations, groups or individuals listed above, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us and share them.
We want this consultation to be representative of the whole Holywood community, and we welcome everyone to attend and have their voice heard

14/08/2026

Regarding recent events in our town, we wish to share our concerns on behalf of our community. While we do not condone any form of violence or anti-social behaviour, we are surprised by the way certain incidents are being portrayed.

We have become aware of an open letter signed by certain individuals, which we only discovered through social media platforms. We have also engaged with another local community group that appears to have been excluded from the discussions and the drafting of this letter.

In discussions about inclusivity and community cohesion, we find it troubling that the perspectives of two local community groups have not been acknowledged.

Holywood Community Network fully supports our local community and extends our heartfelt solidarity to the children who were involved in an incident at Johnny the Jig in the local park.

Furthermore, we are disappointed that it appears no local representatives have offered support to the families affected, despite them being the initial victims in this matter.

Regarding the incident involving the Syrian family, we do not condone any attack or violence directed towards individuals’ homes, which should remain safe spaces for all residents.

From observations over the past few weeks, it seems this incident may have been a response to previous anti-social behaviour and assaults, rather than a racially motivated act. While we do not endorse such retaliatory behaviour, we believe that labeling this as a racial attack may be unhelpful and could potentially increase tensions within our community.

We sincerely hope that peace and stability are restored in Holywood as soon as possible. Holywood has always been a welcoming and inclusive town; to our knowledge, there have been no reports of racially motivated attacks. Our community comprises people from a variety of backgrounds and faiths, and it would be regrettable if Holywood continues to be characterised incorrectly.

23/07/2026

All our thoughts are with little Kai’s family today as he goes for his surgery 🩵

We all are praying everything goes ok for them and they get the best possible outcome.

Please please if you can’t donate to help this family, a share of this link will also help spread the word and get this family as much support as possible 🩵🩵

https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-baby-kai-and-his-family?attribution_id=sl:cbeef143-33a8-44f5-89c3-e921b8a98075&lang=en_GB&ts=1784669313&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp20_control&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwVERDUATOl-RwZG9mAWZkaWQWULF1LejOQkT6LcjSo6Bc5jd4IZiRbGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR44tISU7bm0BpCTcScxdepKo_mf5-ahia5vWIuy-pH_GFodlz3w_xUElIOfvg_aem_iGr8FTTT-rP9SG2o7UED7A

Hi my name is Mandy I am Kai's auntie here is a little bit of why am starting a g… Amanda Walker needs your support for Donate to help baby Kai and his family

16/07/2026

🎉

It's that time of the year again! Happy 12th July

12/07/2026

While we have all had a great day. Unfortunately there are some heartbreaking things going on in our community.

I’m sure a lot of you have read about little Kai’s story and we would love to get behind this family and share their story to get them as much help and support as possible

Unfortunately, Kai’s surgery has had to be postponed following an unexpected complication. While a breathing tube was being inserted to sedate him for his transfer from Belfast to Dublin, some damage was caused to his trachea.

The ENT team has advised that surgery should be delayed for at least a week to give his throat time to heal, as inserting another breathing tube too soon could cause further damage.

At the moment, Kai is expected to undergo surgery next Monday. However, if his condition deteriorates before then, the medical team will take him for surgery immediately.

This is an incredibly difficult and uncertain time for Kai and his family. Alongside the emotional strain of having their little boy seriously unwell and away from home, the family is also facing the added financial pressures that come with travel, accommodation, food and being unable to work while staying by Kai’s side.

We are sharing this GoFundMe to hopefully help ease some of that financial burden, allowing Kai’s family to focus on what matters most: being there with him throughout his treatment and recovery.

Any donation, no matter the amount, would mean so much to the family. If you are unable to donate, simply sharing the fundraiser can make a huge difference.
Thank you to everyone who has already donated, shared, sent messages and kept little Kai and his family in their thoughts. 🩵🩵

Hi my name is Mandy I am Kai's auntie here is a little bit of why am starting a g… Amanda Walker needs your support for Donate to help baby Kai and his family

12/07/2026

And we’re off 🎉

12/07/2026

See you all this afternoon 🎉🎉

Please make sure all children are accompanied by an adult.

We hope you all have a great day 🥳