Walk the Plank paid £45k and took on 22NW staff for Colmcille

Kathy Hayes said the production firm spent a provisional £45,208.44 on artists, carpenters and the costume team, who made the huge street pageant a reality.

The company also took on 22 local temporary workers excluding the hinterlands of Limavady, Strabane, Donegal and elsewhere. Ms Hayes explained the £45k figure was a conservative estimate.

“This only includes the people involved in the construction of the makes and costumes at Whitehouse. I haven’t included some of the costume team who weren’t based at the Whitehouse workshop or some of the other construction that took place off site e.g, metal fabrication. Also doesn’t include the fees for the Production Coordinator, the Procession Manager, the costume designer and the wardrobe supervisor who were all based at the workshop but whose fees sit in the Core team costs section of the budget.”

In relation to local workers who earned an income, she added: “From our records Walk the Plank took on 22 temporary staff based in the city of Derry~Londonderry – this does not include those from the surrounding areas – e.g, Limavady, Strabane, Donegal or rest of NI.

“It also does not take into account temporary workers engaged through other organisations e.g, site and production crew, storycatchers etc.”

Responding to Sentinel enquiries last week she said all freelancers’ invoices received had now been paid.

But she added the proviso: “I know that there are still one or two invoices to come in - one person who was waiting on a tax number received it at the end of last week so expecting their invoice any minute.”

Describing the event as an epic undertaking she concluded: “We are all really proud of the team that came together to deliver the events in Derry~Londonderry and hope that there will be an opportunity to work with some of the great artists, makers and production staff that we met there – either back in the city if we get the chance or at a location elsewhere in the UK or Ireland.”