Armagh City Youth Hostel is set to “continue its legacy” under the remit of a charitable organisation that supports young people with learning disability and autism.
Behind the operation, is Richhill-based charity, incredABLE – which focuses on creating “meaningful social, recreational, and educational opportunities for people with a learning/intellectual disability and/or autism throughout the Southern Health and Social Care Trust Area”.
Born in 1997 under the moniker of The Young Fit and Able (YFA) Group, the organisation grew steadily with a work of a dedicated team of volunteers before rebranding to Enable in 2007 and finally settling on their third and final rebrand to incredABLE in 2017 – the year of their 20th Anniversary.
Since 2017 the charity has continued to develop under Big Lottery funding for the We are incredABLE project that granted over £500,000 to develop a five year programme for people with a learning disability aged 18-25.
As part of their programme they merged with Step by Step NI (Cafe One Eighty) and also purchased the Ballinran Centre – a 5000 sq ft residential centre outside Kilkeel – that the organisation had been using since 2007.
In 2020, they were also awarded the contract to operate the café and a suite of hospitality services at the new state-of-the art South Lake Leisure Centre.
On June 17, incredABLE announced that they will now also be “taking responsibility” operating the former Armagh City Youth Hostel on Abbey Street where they say they will “continue its legacy as a welcoming, group-focused accommodation hub in the heart of the Cathedral City.”
The council-owned Armagh City Youth Hostel had closed in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic and was then licensed to the Southern Health and Social Care Trust for international nursing accommodation.
However, in 2023 the Southern Health and Social Care Trust vacated the property leaving the council left to review suitable uses for the property.
And finally – in conjunction with incredABLE – the hostel will now once again reopen under the new name ‘Stay incredABLE’ Armagh City and will continue to function as a 62-bed self-catering group accommodation facility.
Said incredABLE: “Registered with Tourism NI, the hostel provides quality, affordable accommodation all year round for charities, schools, churches, sports teams, and youth organisations.
“Whether you’re planning a city-based retreat, youth residential, or a weekend of workshops and activities, the hostel offers 18 en-suite bedrooms (including accessible ground-floor rooms), a fully equipped communal kitchen, a spacious lounge/meeting room for up to 70 people, an accessible wetroom with mobile hoist and changing bench, with floor plans and accessibility details available on request.”
The added: “We’re excited to welcome both new and returning groups to this fantastic space under IncredABLE’s inclusive and community-focused management.”
