Never Felt Better Day in Magherafelt a ‘non event’ according to councillor

Speaking at the council’s Development Committee meeting on Thursday night, the UUP’s Trevor Wilson said he had attended both events and had not noticed “any difference in Magherafelt except a few face painters”.

“There did not appear to be many people attending it,” he added, “I was there about two or three o’clock and there wasn’t much happening”.

The event, which cost the council £1,000, was organised to attract shoppers into the town.

In marked contrast, Councillor Wilson said he felt that Cookstown’s Continental Market was “an obvious success” and congratulated everyone involved.

The Continental Market however received funding of £20,000 from the council, with a further £5,000 coming from Market Place Europe.

Mr Wilson told the chamber he thought that if council was going to be running such events there should be a process for giving feedback, a suggestion Adrian McCreesh - Director of Business and Communities - said he would take on board.

Councillors Dillon and Burton said they would like to see council members being informed of upcoming events the week before they take place - a proposal that was passed by the committee.

Later in the meeting members also vowed to investigate the possibility of running Small Business Saturday across all three of Mid Ulster’s former council towns on same weekend, in an effort to bring Mid Ulster together.