Posted 8 June 2021
During this period we are pleased to report that Craig Barr joined us as the new Community Relations Support Officer. Having this extra support funded by the Community Relations Council means that our work can have an even wider rural impact and even more programmes delivered on the ground. We engaged with rural dwellers from right across all parts of rural NI on a partition course delivered by The Junction, we engaged with border rural communities through the Border Stories programme with the Nerve Centre and we encouraged rural communities to engage in the Future Conversations programme with the Holywell Trust.
The State of Northern Ireland programme began with Martin Snoddon from Northern Spring and we held a very successful workshop with Carol Walker MBE from the Somme Museum on WW1. The Our Freedom and Yours programme also began with Maciek Bator focusing on the polish community in WW2 and we also engaged in numerous panel discussions and organised in partnership with UMASS Boston, West Armagh Consortium, Bloody Sunday Trust, UU and others the International Peace Summer School which started in May. The highlight of our work took place in June with the conference organised in partnership with FODC GR Department on the Partition of Ireland and the Birth of the Northern Ireland with over 80 people in attendance.
As we head towards the summer more activities are taking place and there will be an update at the end of September.