Bands Forum

The Gateway to Protestant Participation (GPP) programme has helped set up the Forum in the London0derry area.

Set up at the request of local bands it will allow groups to share good practice and information on funding opportunities and to support the Protestant Unionist Loyalist (PUL) community generally.

The Forum has already started an educational programme, to teach members about the history of marching bands and their significance in Protestant culture.

Mr McFarland said: “Bands are too often politicised and misrepresented in the press and the Forum has been set up so that the bands involved can avail of media training, share good practice such as codes of conduct and child protection as well as creating a strong cohesive voice for the bands.”

GPP is a strategic programme - funded by European Regional Development Fund, under Peace III - designed to encourage the participation of the Protestant community, by promoting a shared sense of belonging and addressing issues of marginalisation and tackling racism and sectarianism, at a local level within the North West Peace III Cluster area.

Developed and delivered by the community sector GPP is a direct result of the 2005 Population Change and Social Inclusion Study carried out by St Columb’s Park House and Queens University which first brought the issues of marginalisation of the Protestant Community to the fore.

Willie Lamrock of the GPP project stated that work was ongoing to give local communities a voice: “We want to work with Protestant groups and organisations to give them the skills and abilities to enable them to engage with Government Ministers, their departments and local government as well as statutory agencies such as the PSNI to ensure the needs of Protestants are considered by decision makers at all levels.

“We will be continuing to support the PUL Community in their endeavours to do this.”