Additional £50K towards Queen’s Platinum Programme

The amendment of the Terms of Reference for the NI100 Working Group to incorporate the programme was also approved.

There are a total of 19 projects within the proposal and a number of these have secured external match funding. Some projects are part-funded through the Good Relations Programme and other external funders secured through Museums service.

One of the projects, the grants programme, will require 100 per cent additional funds. The Community Platinum Jubilee Grant Programme (£30,000) which will ‘provide funding to community and voluntary organisations for small scale community events and activities to mark the occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee’.

In terms of levels of grant aid, single organisations can apply for a grant of up to £500; two organisations working together up to £1,000 and three or more organisations working together up to £1,500.

The other projects requiring additional funds from the Jubilee budget are the Jubilee Civic Gifts project (£ 2,000) and the Jubilee Tree Planting scheme contribution (£5,000).

The remaining £13,000 of the additional funding will go towards administration, staffing, promotion/advertising costs, fees and contingency costs.

DUP Alderman George Duddy described the tree planting scheme at two DEARA approved sites at Letterloan landfill site and Camus tourist amenity and a smaller community planting area as a ‘good idea’.

“The tree planting is an excellent idea given what we hear about climate change and our carbon footprint and I know this would go a very small way to offsetting even an individual’s carbon footprint.

“Letterloan is out of the way and will be hardly visited given that it is a landfill site but I suppose it will help improve the look of Letterloan which is important.’

Councillor Aaron Callan described the Platinum Jubilee as ‘a unique event in the history of our nation’, adding: “I look forward to seeing the various events unfold as the year goes on.

“One of the more successful events we held for the Centenary was a food and drink event held in the Arcadia. It was fantastic and a good way of highlighting our area, the produce that we have, so it would be good if that could be included in the list of events.

“This will be a very unique historical year as we go along.”