Press Release

Mayor pledges his support for two local projects

Short-listed for Big Lottery Awards 2008

Monday 16th June

Mayor Councillor Gerard Diver has pledged his support for two local projects that have both been selected as semi-finalists for this year’s Big Lottery Awards.

Two of the four projects from Northern Ireland to reach the semi-finals hail from the city and will now battle it out against other lottery-funded projects across the UK for the chance of winning £2000 and the chance to star in a prime-time BBC1 TV show.

The Mayor said that this was a wonderful achievement for both projects and validated their hard work and initiative. He continued,

“These projects are both helping to make a difference and a positive contribution to our city whether it be to our cultural heritage or by supporting young fathers in the community. Both of these projects are worthy of a place in the televised semi-final, and are short-listed in separate categories so I would encourage everyone to support them both, by registering a vote for each. I would also like to congratulate both initiatives for reaching this stage and commend their dedication, vision and commitment ”

Derry based Diamond War Memorial Project is competing in the Best Heritage Project category. The project researched the 756 names inscribed on the City’s First World War Memorial to discover that an additional 400 names had been overlooked, almost half of which were from a Nationalist family background. The Diamond War Memorial is now, for the first time, being seen as a shared space with people from both sides of the political and religious divide taking ownership of the cenotaph.

Da Young Fathers Project aims to support young fathers and fathers-to-be aged 14 to 25 years by providing parenting programmes, group sessions and workshops to dads in Northern Ireland between the ages of 14 and 25. Often estranged from their partners, the project helps to ensure they remain a valuable part of the child’s upbringing and enhance the relationship between young fathers and their children. The project offers practical and emotional advice and support for fathers, as well as a mediation service to bring families together to try and reach a compromise in conflict situations.

To register your vote for the Da Young Fathers Scheme call 0845 386 1248 and for the Diamond War Memorial Project call 0845 386 1091. Alternatively you can vote online www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards . The three projects in each category with the highest number of votes will go through to the finals of the Awards and appear on a special BBC1 Saturday night TV show later in the year.

Public voting for the semi-finals starts at 9am on Monday 16 June and ends at midday on Friday 4 July.

Ends

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