Glenowen’s Golden Jubilee: ‘Glenowen needs its voice back!’

As Derry’s Glenowen prepares to celebrate its 50th birthday with a fabulous funday, resident Joe Blee  reminisced about growing up there and their ambitious plans for the estate’s future.

Three generations of the Blee family have made Glenowen their home.

“They were originally from Creggan but once Glenowen was built they all moved in,” said Joe Blee smiling.

Glenowen Playgroup's sponsored walk.

“My granda, Joe Blee, was one of the first residents. Then my father and mother moved in when they got married back in 1993. And now I live here.

“Growing up in Glenowen was brilliant. You had the reservoir beside you. In those days, once you were thrown out of the house in the morning, you didn’t come back till night time. My friends would have been, Paddy Healy, Gavin Campbell, Christy Grace, John Harkin, of JJ Joinery, and Paul McNamara.

“Glenowen was a great place. There were loads of wanes running about. We Got our entertainment in the street. There was a big green up at the top of the estate where everybody used to meet and play football. Eventually we got a football pitch built. My father was one of the people who campaigned for that. They were to put in swings and slides but that was never followed through on for whatever reason.

Back in the day, children who were prizewinners at the Glenowen Sports' Week. Prizes presented by Joe Blee Sr.

“Our neighbours would have been Tony O’Doherty who managed Derry City and Jim Kyle. They were really good neighbours. Back in the day, you didn’t have to worry about locking your door at night in Glenowen or who was roaming about the streets. Everybody knew everybody and you felt safe. There was fantastic community spirit at that time,” reminisced Joe.

Joe was unshakable in his belief that the community spirit never left Glenowen, it just needed what he described as an encouraging “wee push” a couple of years ago.

“It all started when I moved back. I had started my own family,” he said. “I remember driving through Glenowen and thinking, ‘This isn’t the place I grew up in anymore’. There were no wanes in the street. The walls are dilapidated. The street looked  awful. But, I knew the community spirit was still there, it just needed to come out.

“I believe that If one person complains about one thing, nothing is going to be done, so my motto became, Glenowen needed to get its voice back.

Late Bishop Edward Daly given a warm welcome in Glenowen.

“So, in order for this to happen, I decided to get a petition and show everybody that there was more than me that felt this way about Glenowen.

“I got help from Gavin Campbell, one of my friends who used to work for People Before Profit. He put me in contact with Maeve O’Neill. We went around Glenowen and we got 215 signatures on the petition, out of 230 houses, over a couple of nights.

“Talking to people as we were going around that night, it became obvious they all felt the same way. They all felt that Apex [Housing Association] was not taking care of Glenowen any more,” said Joe, “although not just Apex on its own”.

The Glenowen residents then protested about a tumbled wall in the estate and it was fixed within a matter of weeks.

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“That is when the meetings started,” said Joe, “and we became a proper residents’ committee again.

“There were 20 or 30 people at every meeting. There was great support. The community spirit just needed a wee nudge to come back out again.

“Derry City and Strabane District Council then set up a Glenowen Task Force. It is a slow process trying to talk to Apex and the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) because it all comes down to money at the end of the day and things are so bad at the minute with the cost-of-living-crisis.

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“However, we are persevering and we are getting stuff done but it is baby steps. We had a meeting recently which was really good. We have an issue along the back path at the Hollyhall Road. It is the national speed limit, which to me is not acceptable beside a housing estate, adjacent to a 70-year-old wall. The proof of the pudding was that the wall collapsed and we had to campaign to get it fixed.

“I am pleased that the national speed limit has now been moved 90 yards further out on the road from where it is. ‘Slow’ signs and ‘Children’ signs and road markings are also in the pipeline as well, so, fair play to DfI, it stepped up there and something worthwhile has been achieved,” said Joe.

MLA Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin) supporting Glenowen Residents' Association.

“I can’t wait for the Glenowen 50th birthday funday,” said Joe. “It is circled in the calendar. We are just counting down the days and we are nearly into single digits.”

“We had one here years ago, which my father, Eddie, co-organised. I remember it was a brilliant day. We had a DJ, a fella who lived in the street and burgers, a sports day, fancy dress, and music. Everyone in Glenowen was there. All your friends and people you went to school with. All the parents. It was a class day.

“On July 22, I want to recreate that community atmosphere. If all goes to plan, it is going to be an amazing day.

“If it had not been for the generosity of the residents during our door-to-door collection the Funday would not have been possible. The response was fantastic. We were blown away by it. Including a donation from Apex, we collected £1100 in one night. That is phenomenal and it shows me the people of Glenowen want Glenowen back to the way it was, not how it has been left - the land that time forgot.

“Everybody just needs to be brought back together. We need to show people what lenowen is about,” said Joe with passion.

Joe was keen to highlight that Apex, DfI and Council had done “a little bit”.

He added: “But, the people of Glenowen are not going to say, ‘Thanks very much and we’ll see you later’. We are not going to be fobbed off. We are here and we are staying.

“Whether it is me who does it or somebody else who does it, there is always going to be somebody in Glenowen who has a voice and as long as there is a voice here, then we are going to be heard. 

“At the minute it is hard to get in contact with Apex. Glenowen needs its own social hub and social network, like Triax and the Glen Initiative. We are trying to enquire about a property, somewhere of our own where we can have our meetings.

“The Task Force started the whole ball rolling when we needed help most. We are on the right road but we are still in the first furlong and we still have a long way to go. Glenowen needs more. It has been ignored for far too long. We deserve more. We do not want more than anyone else, we just want to be treated the same,” said Joe with determination.

“Our initial plan was to have health and safety sorted first, walls, steps, handrails, crumbling roads and potholes and then to push on to make Glenowen a nicer place to walk through and open a play park,” said Joe.

“But, there is absolutely no reason why these things cannot run alongside each other. 

“Ann Marie [Wilson] and I have agreed to fight for a play park for Glenowen and I am pleased to say we are now at the top of the list, along with Ard Grange. That is a bit of a better outlook.

“Glenowen Residents’ Committee is here to stay.”