Secretary of State welcomed to city

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, was welcomed to Lisburn City Centre last week by the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Alderman Stephen Martin and the Chair of the Development Committee, Alderman Amanda Grehan.
Secretary of Stafe for Northern Ireland Mr Brandon Lewis was welcomed to Lisburn by the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Alderman Stephen Martin; Alderman Amanda Grehan, Development Committee Chair and Chief Executive Mr David Burns.Secretary of Stafe for Northern Ireland Mr Brandon Lewis was welcomed to Lisburn by the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Alderman Stephen Martin; Alderman Amanda Grehan, Development Committee Chair and Chief Executive Mr David Burns.
Secretary of Stafe for Northern Ireland Mr Brandon Lewis was welcomed to Lisburn by the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Alderman Stephen Martin; Alderman Amanda Grehan, Development Committee Chair and Chief Executive Mr David Burns.

“I’m delighted to be back in Lisburn, meeting some of the local businesses and hearing about their vision for a thriving city centre and making this an even better place to live and work,” said the Secretary of State.

“Lisburn has huge potential and I, and the UK Government, are committed to levelling up across Northern Ireland and the entire United Kingdom. Lisburn & Castlereagh City have already secured over £12million investment through the levelling up and community ownership funds.
“The UK Government is committed to supporting Northern Ireland and I would encourage further applications for the second round of the Levelling Up Fund.”

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Thanking the Secretary of State for his visit, the Mayor said: “It has been a great pleasure to welcome the Secretary of State to our wonderful city today. Starting off in the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum, we were delighted to discuss plans for the Knockmore and Maze Long Kesh areas.

Secrtary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis tours Lagan Valley LeisurePlex with Councillor Sharon Skillen, Leisure & Community Development Chair and the Mayor, Alderman Stephen Martin.Secrtary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis tours Lagan Valley LeisurePlex with Councillor Sharon Skillen, Leisure & Community Development Chair and the Mayor, Alderman Stephen Martin.
Secrtary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis tours Lagan Valley LeisurePlex with Councillor Sharon Skillen, Leisure & Community Development Chair and the Mayor, Alderman Stephen Martin.

“There were great conversations to follow with some of our new and innovative businesses highlighting how our city continues to grow. As a council, we are committed to unlocking the potential for future regeneration in Lisburn City and the surrounding areas. Rebuilding our economy is a key priority for us going forward and today really demonstrated Lisburn’s potential.

“We also have a range of exciting events coming up in our city such as the Mayor’s Carnival Parade and Family Fun Day and I hope to see many local people there.”

Alderman Grehan added: “When talking to the Secretary of State, local traders were keen to highlight the significant development in the city in recent years. Lisburn has something for everyone. With culture, education, retail, hospitality, as well as health and wellbeing services, we have it all.

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“Government support is essential for small businesses, especially now as we recover from the impact of the pandemic. We remain committed to supporting growth and regeneration in our city and surrounding towns and villages. It was a pleasure to showcase the new city centre hotel Haslems Hotel. I am delighted with the success of a number of businesses we have supported in recent years such as Crema, Running Bubble and Geek Retreat. Their innovation and determination is inspiring and I have no doubt the city will continue to go from strength to strength with more new businesses in the pipeline.”

Michael Stewart from The Running Bubble, Lisburn chats to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis and the council representatives about their new business offering support to runners.Michael Stewart from The Running Bubble, Lisburn chats to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis and the council representatives about their new business offering support to runners.
Michael Stewart from The Running Bubble, Lisburn chats to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis and the council representatives about their new business offering support to runners.

The Secretary of State finished his visit at the Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, meeting the Chair of the Leisure and Community Development Committee, Councillor Sharon Skillen who added: “The visit was also a great opportunity to showcase what Lisburn has to offer more widely, supporting healthy, active lifestyles. The Secretary of State was impressed with the facilities at the LeisurePlex and the value we offer through our Vitality Membership. This household or individual membership provides access to our gyms and a wide range of activities including swimming, ice skating, bowling and many others. We also met with Lisburn Rangers to see how they have utilised the funding they received from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. ”