19/09/2002

Culture prize essential in drive for better life says Minister

The Capital of Culture prize is a catalyst that could enable Belfast and Northern Ireland to create a new momentum in a drive towards a better life for all its citizens, First Minister David Trimble has said.

Mr Trimble was speaking at a Waterfront Hall reception yesterday to welcome the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, who is responsible for the overall running of the competition.

Ms Jowell was in the province yesterday to look at Belfast's Capital of Culture bid for 2008.

Speaking during her visit, Mr Trimble said: “It is important to look ahead and to recognise what is possible and to appreciate the benefits which winning this title can bring.

“We must be focused on reaching for a prize which will enable us to grow as a city and as a province, and which will help achieve recognition far beyond what we might have aspired to in the past. We must be big enough and far-sighted enough to reach for what is possible.”

The First Minister praised the work of all who had worked hard to put together Belfast’s bid, including Culture Minister Michael McGimpsey, Belfast City Council and Imagine Belfast.

He said that Belfast had embarked upon a path that would enable it to show itself as a modern dynamic city that could take its place among European capitals.

(MB)

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