Preserving the experiences of over 100 migrant women who have made Mid Ulster their home is to be the basis of a powerful new heritage project by First Steps Women’s Centre (FSWC), Dungannon, following receipt of £231K in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
First Steps Women’s Centre will document and celebrate the stories, culture, and lived experiences of over 100 Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women who have made Mid Ulster their home between 2000 and 2024.
Known as Heritage Journeys: Voices of Migrant Women in Mid Ulster, the project will capture the women’s stories in video, audio, print, and digital formats. Recordings of participants’ oral histories, details of food traditions and religious practices, music, social customs, and more will be captured, ensuring their contributions to life in Mid Ulster and the factors that led them to come to the area are recognised and never forgotten. These will then be archived in Belfast’s Linen Hall Library for future generations to access, study, and learn from. A dedicated website and accompanying booklet will further help share the women’s rich histories.
The project was conceived by staff at First Steps Women’s Centre after hearing and learning from the incredible experiences of migrant women who have been coming to the Centre since it first opened its doors in 1998. Since then, Dungannon has become one of the most culturally diverse towns in Northern Ireland. Each week, the Centre delivers learning and professionally accredited courses in employability, wellbeing, and life skills to over 200 women of all ages and backgrounds from across Mid Ulster. It also offers vital wraparound services, including an onsite creche. Catering for 55 children, it enables parents to avail of educational opportunities. The Centre also provides a minibus transport service, counselling, and a hygiene bank.
Announcing details of the Heritage Journeys project, Michael McGoldrick, CEO of First Steps Women’s Centre, said: “This powerful new project is grounded in First Steps Women’s Centre’s unique position as a long-standing and trusted partner of local and migrant women here. For over two decades, we have heard the stories of some 2,000 women from all backgrounds and ethnicities while supporting them through employability and education programmes, language classes, childcare, wellbeing initiatives, and counselling.
“We see the vital contribution the women who have come to live here are making to our local economy and community every day. Bringing new skills, traditions, knowledge, music, and customs to our towns, schools, and workplaces, it is only right that we preserve and record their stories and this intangible cultural heritage aspect of life across Mid Ulster so that generations to come will discover and learn from it.
“By giving these women a platform to share their heritage, our project also aims to build empathy and challenge prejudice by increasing understanding and showcasing the resilience, courage, and humanity of the migrant women who have made Mid Ulster their home.
“We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. Heritage Journeys is more than a project, though. It’s about visibility, dignity, lasting change, and ensuring that the voices of migrant women are honoured as a vital part of our shared heritage in Mid Ulster.”
Speaking about the project, Katalin Hajdu, who came to live in Dungannon from Hungary in 2012 before becoming Chair of First Steps Women’s Centre for a period, said: “I arrived in Dungannon and had to adapt to life in a new country with limited finances and a limited command of the English language. It’s been quite a journey and one I am still on, but today, I am proud to work as an Executive Sales Manager and call Mid Ulster home.
“However, becoming part of life in Mid Ulster wasn’t easy. I knew no local people, but thankfully, I found FSWC. I found a lifeline. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by new friends and a sense of community that felt almost like a second family. I began to learn about the local way of life and how things were done, while being encouraged to share my own experiences and cultural traditions. Through FSWC, I was able to access ESOL classes and pursue further learning opportunities, with the added reassurance of a crèche where I knew my child was safe and well cared for. It was a truly transformative experience. Later, I continued my education by attending additional courses at South West College.
“Sharing and learning from each other and our cultures is key to a better life for all of us, and that is why this project is so important. I see a huge shift in cultural diversity here, so for future generations we must preserve the details of how we, as women from so many different walks of life, have coped, changed, adapted and moved forward during these years, so they can learn from us.”
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Speaking about its support for the Heritage Journeys project, Dr Paul Mullan, Northern Ireland Director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "The Heritage Fund is committed to supporting greater inclusion, diversity and participation in heritage, which is why we’re pleased to support First Steps Women’s Centre to research and share the untold stories of women who have migrated here. Many people are playing a significant role in shaping the culture and heritage of Northern Ireland, and this project will discover and acknowledge a lesser-known aspect of Mid Ulster’s heritage and broaden understanding in the wider community."
Samantha McCombe, Librarian, at The Linen Hall, added: “The Linen Hall is privileged to be supporting First Steps Women's Centre’s Heritage Journeys: Voices of Migrant Women in Mid Ulster project. The project will give invaluable insights to previously unexplored culture and heritage, and voice to migrant women by spotlighting fascinating histories and personal narratives. This project will have impact, value, and lasting legacy.”
Delivering the Heritage Journeys: Voices of Migrant Women in Mid Ulster project has also created two new jobs at FSWC. The project will also be supervised by a highly experienced advisory board. The resulting materials will be displayed and exhibited across schools, libraries, Council offices and community settings throughout Mid Ulster and beyond, becoming a vital educational tool that promotes inclusion, breaks down barriers, and celebrates the evolving cultural landscape in Northern Ireland.
To find out more about The National Lottery Heritage Fund visit
Heritage Fund
