£4.1m EU funding for North East area

The North East PEACE III Partnership, which covers Larne, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Moyle and Limavady Councils, was awarded the grants windfall by the European Union through the PEACE III Programme.

The money will be used to deliever a number of strategic projects including training, development and support on a diverse range of topics such as reconciliation, leadership, youth and schools, community cohesion, inter-faith and inter-church relations, sport, ethnic minority engagement, culture and arts, cultural awareness and conflict resolution.

This funding follows on from the £3.6 million previously invested in the North East under phase one of the PEACE III Programme. By the end of 2013 the European Union will have made a substantial investment in peace building in the North East Cluster of Council’s through a considerable investment of £7.6 million.

Local elected representatives were present at the launch of phase two of the partnership’s action plan recently at the Ross Park Hotel, Ballymena.

Introducing the second phase of the action plan, Alderman Jack Rankin MBE, chairman of the North East PEACE III Joint Committee said: “Phase one brought about an unprecedented amount of peace-building activity, which has resulted in a greater understanding and change in attitude towards sectarianism and racism. This has provided an excellent support network for conflict resolution and mediation in the North East.”