Press Release

Final Preparations Underway For ‘Crafts In The Walled City’

16th November 2005

High quality design will be the focus of Crafts in the Walled City 2005 as the Mayor launches the annual event in the Guildhall this Friday 18th November. Over 50 exhibitors will display their range of specialty produce over the weekend in what promises to be a very colourful Christmas event, supported by DETI’s EU Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme.

Preparations for this event have been ongoing since August, with all of the selected producers progressing through a rigorous selection process. One of this years exhibitors, Anne McGonigle, of Glendowen Exclusive Design, based in Donegal outlined the value of Crafts in the Walled City to her business and commented “the last few weeks have been hectic, but I am now putting the final touches to a lot of my products and am looking forward to the Fair”.

The event celebrates a wealth of creativity from a wide geographic area, attracting craft producers from as far afield as Wicklow and Louth and as local as Derry, Donegal and Tyrone. Making the journey from Wicklow, Mr Paul Pritchard, from the Organic Herb Company, affirmed his ongoing commitment to the annual event and said “As a Derry man myself, I am always delighted to come back to Crafts in the Walled City and see for myself how the City is evolving".

The event is now an established Economic Development Initiative, providing SMEs with a valuable opportunity to profile their company, network with similar organizations and sell their produce. A local producer, Natasha Duddy from Eglinton commented "I have been participating in this event for the past number of years - it is important for me as a local craft producer to be able to showcase my work and retail directly to the local market”.

“Crafts in the Walled City 2005” will open on Friday 18th November 2005 from 4pm – 8pm. Opening hours for Saturday 19th are 10am – 6pm and Sunday 20th are 11am – 5pm. Further details of the event can be obtained by contacting the Economic Development Section of Derry City Council – tel: 7137 6506 or by logging onto www.derrycity.gov.uk/crafts.

ENDS

Notes for Editor

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