Opening statement by The London Irish Centre to the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht
The London Irish Centre is the largest Irish charity in Britain and is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Our welfare service is the largest for Irish people outside of Ireland. Each year we support over 5000 vulnerable Irish people to improve their housing, income, access to health, and socialinclusion opportunities.
Our charity delivers a diverse programme of Irish arts, cultural and community events, offering opportunities to connect with Irish culture. We are proud to showcase the finest Irish talent to London audiences and to offer a taste of home to the city’s Irish community. 23,000 individuals attended Irish arts and cultural events during 2013.
Our main premises, in Camden Square, is the oldest and largest Irish Centre in Britain, and provides a warm Irish welcome to all who visit. We also have offices in West Kensington and Kilburn and provide outreach services to people across London.
Founded in 1954 to support the needs of thousands of newly arrived Irish emigrants, The London Irish Centre (LIC) has always been a place of assistance and a place of welcome.
From its foundation, the LIC provided support with the key issues of accommodation and employment, which enabled young emigrants to start their new lives in London.
While many things have changed through the decades, the LIC continues to meet the changing needs of the Irish community, from the original 1950s emigrants, now an ageing community, to recent emigrants whose London journey is just beginning. We are an organic organisation and are embracing change to ensure that the services we offer best meet the needs of Irish people in London today and in the years ahead. Today we have the biggest online community of any Irish organisation in Britain with over 20,000 individuals connecting to us and following us.
The London Irish Centre continues to appreciate the generous support that the people of Ireland give to our work through the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Emigrant Support Programme. This accounts for almost 50% of our income. The remaining funding has to be raised year on year in ever more challenging economic circumstances at a time when the need for our support is continuing to grow due to an increase in young emigrants and changes to UK welfare benefits.
David Barlow
Chief Executive