Peace II grants awarded to Derry organisations

The Local Strategy Partnership for the Derry City Council Area has announced the projects that have been successful within the first year of the First Year PEACE II Action plan.

The Local Strategy Partnership applied the themes raised in the interim Integrated Local Strategy to help direct the first year of its action plan for EU Peace II funding. The PEACE II Assessment panels considered 91 PEACE II applications and 25 tender documents over a four-month period.

Des Rainey and Gerry Ó’hEára, Co-chairpersons of the Local Strategy Partnership, said: "This was a very difficult task because of the demand for funding and also the detail which was requested from the PEACE II Application Form.

"As Co-Chairpersons we are satisfied that all project applications were considered in an equitable and transparent way through the open calls for applications. Whilst many project applicants were successful others were not mainly because of the PEACE II Distinctiveness Criteria."

The action plan has now committed approximately £2.8m to 44 projects and programmes under the Peace II priority themes of Developing Local Economic Initiatives for the Social Economy and Human Resource, Training and Development. It is hoped that the successful applications will develop peace and reconciliation through economic, social, cultural and environmental projects.

Oonagh McGillion, Strategy Manager of the Local Strategy Partnership said: “The Local Strategy Partnership is currently open for applications under the Capital Infrastructure Programme for new Social Economy enterprises and the Technical Assistance Programme for the Social Economy.

"It is anticipated that the Partnership will also open for applications under a Targeted Youth Intervention Programme during April. Interested organisations should contact the Partnership office for further information on these programmes.”

The grants were awarded against themes such as: New Social Economy Capital Infrastructure Programme; Development & Expansion of existing Social Economy Enterprises Programme; Social Economy Revolving Loan Fund; and the Social Economy Support Programme.

(GMcG)