Knockbreda parishioner is made MBE
Congratulations to Mr James Brown, parishioner of Knockbreda Parish, who has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. He has been honoured for his services to the community in East Belfast.
James, a businessman, is involved with two major projects in the area - The Skainos Project and Connswater Community Greenway.
Skainos is an urban regeneration project in inner East Belfast providing shared space for community transformation and renewal. This flagship redevelopment scheme on a brownfield site in the Ballymacarrett area will be inclusive of the whole community. People will be able to gather, eat meals together, worship, and find help for health, employment, education, childcare, housing, and spiritual concerns.
The Connswater Community Greenway will create a 9km linear park through East Belfast, following the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers, connecting the open and green spaces and remediating the Connswater River itself. The Greenway will reconnect the communities of East Belfast and restore the rivers as community assests. It will create vibrant, attractive, safe and accessible parkland for leisure, recreation and community events and activities.
As a diocese we are also very grateful to James for his support of our initiative in the Titanic Quarter, particularly his sponsorship of The Dock Business Plan.