North East Peace III Partnership, Northern Ireland | Coleraine | Ballymena | Ballymoney | Larne | Limavady | Moyle | SEUPB

2010 Archive

Programme 3b1 – Outreach Work with Detached Young People

Christmas Get Together
Cheers Youth Centre, Ballymoney
16th December 2010. 8.30pm

Sport Comes to the North East

An inspirational sports and leisure festival funded by the North East PEACE III programme and managed by the University of Ulster Sports Academy took place in the Ballymoney area during November 2010.

The Sport Comes 2 Town festival, which was granted the London 2012 Inspire Mark* ran a programme of sports activities for participants on the North East PEACE III Sports and Leisure programme over a number of weeks. These were aimed at promoting sport in the local community and encouraging families to get active. The festival ended with an open event for participants and members of the public in the Joey Dunlop centre, Ballymoney on Saturday 20 November 2010.

1,500 people attended the event for a day of family fun and cultural integration. More than twenty local sports were showcased at the sports festival from table tennis, badminton, climbing, cheerleading, ballet, bowls and wrestling. Coaches from Rugby, Football, GAA and hurling, representing more than twenty clubs, delivered a variety of coaching and education sessions.

The gymnastics and cheerleading club put on a wonderful display of glitz and glamour as they wowed the crowds with aerobic feats, including a human pyramid. The festival atmosphere was enriched with a band who filled the hall with a cultural mixture of music, giving young people the opportunity to play various instruments.

Commenting on the success of the initiative, Patricia Crossley North East PEACE III Partnership member said: ‘Sport comes 2 town was an exciting day at Joey Dunlop Centre – there was a real buzz amongst young people taking part and enthusiasm from the parents watching. A real success. Personally I loved being involved, especially in playing the drums!’

The response to the day from participating clubs and members of the public was excellent, with a number of clubs attracting new members to their activities.

Councillors Leading for Peace

Pictured receiving their Leadership Certificates at the Royal Court, Portrush recently are Councillors from the North East PEACE III cluster area.

Over the past year elected representatives from the six councils making up the North East Peace III cluster (Limavady, Coleraine, Moyle, Ballymoney, Ballymena and Larne) having been undertaking a training programme entitled Leadership in a Shared Society.

This unique programme, which is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership, has been designed and delivered by the WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) in partnership with Mediation Northern Ireland and the Interaction Institute for Social Change.

Colin Neilands (Director of the WEA) said that all the partners had been delighted to have been part of the programme and impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the participating councillors.

The training covered a range of leadership skills around strategic focus and decision making, combined with unpacking the issues associated with working with difference and building a vision for a shared society.

In a joint statement the councillors said that they found they had more in common than they had first realised and that sharing together makes a real difference. They felt that there must be shared local leadership to build a vision for a shared society and that they had established the basis for future co-operation. They also suggested that perhaps a similar programme should be run for ‘those up on the hill’.

Speaking at the certificate presentation on Friday 19^th November, Alderman Jack Rankin, Chair of the NE PEACE III Joint Committee said: “This programme is leaving a legacy in our Councils by enabling Councillors to increase their contribution to improving trust and tolerance and understanding of differences in the individual Council areas. It has provided a safe, open and honest opportunity for communication to take place between elected representatives about their role in peace building. The programme has challenged and examined a range of leadership practices for civic leaders and has played a constructive role in assisting Councillors to help address the challenges of a divided society as we move towards a shared society”

Liscolman 1st to commemorate VC Quigg

Residents and guests gathered in Liscolman village on Saturday, October 20^th for the unveiling of a new mural to commemorate the Battle of the Somme.

The mural was designed by artist Ross Wilson and Liscolman Community Association through their participation on the North East PEACE III programme ‘Building Brighter Futures’ led by Business in the Community. This programme is funded under the European Union’s PEACE III programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North East PEACE III Partnership.

The mural has three panels with a remembrance theme. The first panel commemorates the seven men of the village who died in the Great War, who served in both the 36th Ulster Division and 16th Irish Division.

The central panel shows an iconic image of the Battle of the Somme. It is the first to honour VC Robert Quigg who was awarded a Victoria Cross for bravery in 1916, while attempting to find and rescue his Platoon Officer Harry MacNaghten. The third image is taken from local landmark Liscolman Mill, the chimney is depicted with the flax flower.

The re-imaging project has been further enhanced with additional panels taken from old photographs of Liscolman, kindly supplied by local residents and funded thanks to the NI Housing Executive. Through Business in the Community – Carers Challenge, volunteers from the Old Bushmills Distillery have also helped create a new area for planting along the main road.

Nicola Neill, Programme Manager of Business in the Community commented ‘This project has been a fantastic achievement thanks to the dedication from the residents of Liscolman and the Community Association. I would like to thank the North East PEACE III Partnership, TIDES, Moyle District Council, NI Housing Executive, Diageo and local landowners for their commitment and co-operation.‘

‘The aim of this North East PEACE III programme was to increase the confidence, knowledge and skills of the community group representatives and to explore community engagement principles. The Building Brighter Futures Programme took them through an exploration and learning programme where they used the shared history of WW1 to explore culture and identity. The NE PEACE III Partnership are delighted that the community actively participated in all stages of the project and look forward to working alongside the community in Liscolman for future initiatives.’ Patricia McCallion, NE PEACE III Manager.

Ross Wilson added that “It has been a privilege and an honour to work with the Liscolman group who have shown such an interest in historical events and wanted to openly celebrate the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and also to commemorate VC Quigg.”

Programme 5b – Community Dialogue and Exchange Programme

Let’s Get Together Photo Exhibition
The Braid, Ballymena
20th November 2010

Programme 6b – Community Engagement and Visible Manifestations of the Conflict Programme

Liscolman Mural Launch
Liscolman Community Hall
20th November 2010, 2.30pm – 3.30pm

‘Sport Comes to Town’ Festival

Programme 9a, the Indigenous and Ethnic Minority Sports and Leisure programme will be running the ‘Sport Comes 2 Town’ festival from Saturday 13th to Saturday 20th November 2010. The venue for all the activities is the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre, 33 Garryduff Road, Ballymoney, BT53 7AU.

‘Sport Comes 2 Town’ has just received the ‘inspired by London 2012’ mark which is part of the London 2012 Olympics brand family. ‘Sport comes to town’ met the criteria for being selected for this London Olympic 2012 mark. The mark is for ‘non-commercial organisations delivering projects and events genuinely inspired by the London 2012 Games.’

‘Sport Comes 2 Town’ is a festival of sport and culture. Participating children and adults will be able to experience a wide range of sporting and cultural activities at the festival.

Festival outline:

13th November 2010

Coach education day for local sports clubs, including sessions on golf and good practice in children’s sport

17th-18th November 2010

Sport performance session for sports club coaches

20th November 2010

(Final day of festival)

‘Come and see, come and try’ day. Sports demonstration/taster sessions open to the general public throughout the day facilitated by local clubs and instructors, including table tennis, badminton, cheerleading, trampolining, gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling, judo, archery, golf, ballet, dance, karate, bowls, swimming, rugby, football, Gaelic football, hurling and hockey. There will also be an open day at the gym. The activities will all be free of charge.

Venue: Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre, 33 Garryduff Road, Ballymoney, BT53 7AU.