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It follows in the footsteps of the All-Ireland Fleadh, The Turner Prize, the Walled City Tattoo, Lumiere, the Return of Colmcille, Sons and Daughters and other events which brought world attention to Derry.

All of the above have been funded by my department, as part of £12.3m for the City of Culture and an additional £6m for legacy projects across the North West.

Alongside the landmark events, there have been dozens of other grass roots and community projects which have had a real, lasting and meaningful impact on people’s lives.

These are unprecedented levels of funding for the arts and culture in the area. This investment has paid dividends for a city, and a region, which continues to grow in confidence.

When I took up post as Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in 2011, my aim was to harness the impact of cultural, creative and sporting activity to change people’s lives for the better.

Derry’s City of Culture 2013 proved that culture can improve lives. The year was a huge success with, as referred to above, £12.3 million invested directly into the North West. It changed the face of a city which has suffered from significant deprivation. It delivered new opportunities for local people and changed perceptions of the City. It brought communities together and created new partnerships which, to some, may have been almost unimaginable in the past. It gave local people a new sense of pride in their city, and gave young people new optimism and ambitions to reach their full potential.

Importantly, a great deal was learned about the power of culture, arts and leisure to enhance people’s lives.

I made a commitment in 2013 that my Department would keep working to maintain this momentum. We would work to share the learning and ensure the wider North West – including Strabane, Limavady, Coleraine and their rural communities – develops as a vibrant, exciting place with equal quality of life for all. Times are challenging, and we need to be flexible and innovative in our approach, but that commitment remains.

While I intended to set up a Company limited by guarantee, this aspiration was based on funding being made available. In the midst of a challenging economic period, it was not possible to secure a level of funding which would justify the set up of a new company. This decision was taken with value for money considerations in mind.

However despite the year on year erosion on the block grant by a Tory led government, I ensured my Department established a dedicated North West Office. The North West Team uses innovative approaches in achieving our key objectives. Its work ranges from assisting councils with community planning policy development to helping communities develop cultural strategies. It coordinates DCAL’s existing services to ensure that the impact of museums, libraries, sports, arts and language services is maximised and targeted at communities and individuals most in need. It also helps to ensure that success and learning from the North West is rolled out to other towns and cities.

The North West Team represent a means of maximising funding opportunities in constrained financial times by minimising delivery costs. This means building partnerships, exploring new collaborations and ensuring that the challenging funding environment does not impact on key services.

Following my Department’s support for City of Culture 2013, I secured additional funding to support projects and events during 2014 and 2015.

My Department will, by March 2015, have provided additional investment of more than £6m in the North West over the 15 month period following City of Culture 2013. This is in addition to our existing support for libraries, museums, arts, sports and languages. It is also in addition to the Derry City Council legacy fund and any allocations by other Executive Departments. This brings the total, additional, investment in the North West to over £18 million in the last three years by my department.

DCAL’s North West Social and Economic Development Programme for 2015 includes support for key City of Culture projects and assistance for communities to build skills using cutting edge equipment and for community festival activity to flourish. The Programme aims to take community cultural activity to the next level by building on existing partnerships, creating new collaborations and trying new interventions based on what we learnt from 2013. The Programme will stretch beyond Derry to Coleraine, Strabane, Limavady, Mid Ulster and surrounding rural areas to ensure that those living right across the wider North West benefit.

Over the past few weeks, I have visited many of these projects to see the various organisations and community groups which have benefitted from our investment.

Some of the projects my Department has supported include:

‘Talent North West’ - A joint talent competition hosted by communities and schools in Derry, Strabane, Coleraine and Limavady.

The Cornstore Creative Hub’s Rural Key Programme which provides opportunities for young people to develop their musical talent.

A Cultural Hub Development Programme which provides the equipment and software to create 16 cultural hubs within communities throughout the North West, giving local people access to technology for education, training, community activity and social enterprise.

Support for continuation of key 2013 City of Culture events such as Portrait of a City, Music City, CultureTech, Playhouse and the Verbal Arts Centre’s Reading Rooms.

These are just a few examples. Our focus on the North West will continue into 2015/16 and beyond. My ongoing commitment to the North West has been reinforced by the addition of a further staff member to our North West Team. There are now four staff members who are focussing on North West activity. The Team will continue to have a visible presence in the North West, working with councils, cultural organisations and communities.

In 2015, two years on from City of Culture, there is plenty to be proud of, and plenty to celebrate. But I understand the focus is on the future. Our expectations are higher and our goals are more ambitious because of the past few years.

The money invested – not to mention the collective time, effort and creativity spent by those involved – has built a momentum in the North West. This investment transforms lives, inspires communities and provides innovative and effective ways to engage the disengaged and help rebuild the economy.

As Minister, I will continue to work with individuals, organisations and elected representatives across the North West as we move forward to build confidence as we collectively attempt to redress decades of under investment.