£650k bid for Olympic screen

A BID for £650,000 for an open air cinema screen to show major cultural and sporting events in Londonderry during the 2012 Olympiad has been submitted by Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) Nelson McCausland.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Nov 2010, 10:26 BST

The exciting plans will involve the erection of a 25 square metres video display with a computer controlled playout and audio system in one of the city's prominent public spaces.

The Minister revealed his support for the move in response to an Assembly Question by Foyle MLA Mary Bradley.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said he supported Londonderry's aspiration to secure a "Live Site" - a location for a big screen - to join in the celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012, and that discussions on that were ongoing.

He said: "A business case is being prepared by the 2013 City of Culture team in Londonderry and the 2012-13 games legacy unit has made a bid for 650,000 capital in the December monitoring round to support the city council of Londonderry in procuring that live site."

DCAL is now facilitating discussions between the Derry City Council and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG 2012) to try to make it a reality.

The possibility of a big screen in Guildhall Square or at the Ebrington site is an exciting one judging from 18 "Live Sites" already operating across the UK with screens featuring a broad range of UK-wide and local content, events and partnerships with community, arts and media organisations.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The Council welcomes the support received to date from DCAL on this issue and is hoping to announce further details later in the year following discussions with members of the Development Committee," a Derry City Council spokesperson said.

Related topics:BID