£4.2m EU Funding announced for Newry Council

Approximately£4.2 million worth of funding under the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme has been offered to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

The funding will be used to support a number of locally-based projects and initiatives that will promote positive relations between people from different communities and backgrounds.

It will result in an increase in the percentage of people who think relations between Protestants and Catholics have improved and an increased cultural awareness of minority ethnic communities.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council will be responsible for the delivery of a ‘PEACE Action Plan’ focused on three key areas: ‘Children & Young People’; ‘Shared Spaces and Services’ and ‘Building Positive Relations’.

The support will be used in the delivery of local community initiatives for children and young people involving sports, arts, culture and language. It will help make public space in cities, towns and villages more inclusive and facilitate programmes for shared space.

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The funding will also be used to assist conflict resolution activities at a local level to encourage positive interaction between residents and groups from divided neighbourhoods.

Match-funding for this element of the PEACE IV Programme has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in Ireland.

Welcoming the funding Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Gillian Fitzpatrick said, “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council are proud to be the lead partner for this major peace-building programme in our district.

“Together with our statutory and social partners, we will deliver a range of innovative projects building upon the successes and lessons learnt from the previous Peace programmes and for the benefit of our communities in the district.”

Chairperson of the PEACE IV Partnership Cllr Michael Ruane stated, “We are delighted to welcome the PEACE IV European Union funding for our Local Authority Action Plan and for their continued support for Peace and Reconciliation.

“The funding will enable us to deliver exciting projects that provide opportunities for our communities to engage in good relations, reconciliation and anti-sectarianism activities which will build upon community cohesion through partnership working within our district.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Jan 24 2017. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry