Rathcoole Friends of the Somme Society

The society is established to advance education, promote and advance community development, relieve poverty, hardship, sickness and the aged and to promote the benefit and wellbeing of the community resident in the Rathcoole area and its environs of Newtownabbey, Co Antrim (hereinafter called the area of benefit) without distinction of age, gender, disabilty, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic identity, political or religious opinion by assocating the statutory authorities, community and voluntary organistations and the inhabitants in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation or other leisure-time occupation with the object of fostering a community spirit and improving the conditions of life for said inhabitants and in particular: (a) to foster good citizenship and advance the education and understanding of the public inrelation to the events and historical implications of the First World War, in particular but not exclusively by the promotion of knowledge on the subject of the 36th Ulster Division with special reference to the Division's participation in the Somme campaogn, in such ways as the committee think fit; (b) to support community development and wellbeing activities and to work with partners to support community cohesion, the promotion of adequate housing conditions and the development of a sustainable community; (c) to promote community safety through the support and development of appropriate programmes and projects which aim to address crime and anti-social behaviour; (d) to promote or assist in promoting community capacity building programmes and projects for the benefit of the inhabitants within the area of benefit who have need of such assistance as a result of their youth, age, disability or infirmity, or social and economic circumstances, in an effort to increase the abilities, skills, and self-confidence of such inhabitants in the area of benefit; (e) to relieve poverty by the promotion, facilitation and organisation of adequate, accessible and quality programmes of vocational and educational training, information and support in an effort to acquire skills and retraining to assist the beneficiaries in obtaining employment; (f) to advance any other exclusively charitable purpose as the committee, may from time to time, decide in accordance with the law of charity.