The ARC

The ARC (animal re-homing and horticultural centre) is a partnership between the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and the USPCA.

The project runs five days a week with many activities, the main constituents being animal husbandry, art and the environmental project (AYW Eden). There are several others including cooking, self help, woodwork, pottery, music, walking groups, horticulture and a sports programme which run throughout the year.

AYW Eden have been at the ARC two days a week since October 2009, and are there to provide an Environmental Opportunities programme and projects for individuals with learning disabilities, enhancing the existing biodiversity, creating learning opportunities in the outdoors, educating in outdoor work skills and managing the work on the project sites in connection with organisations on-site already and the alliances set up with AYW.

The main part of the project is to create and maintain community wildlife gardens in the lower field area of the site although this has not started.