Community Relations Council

Community Relations Week will see more than 140 events take place across Northern Ireland next week (April 27 to May 2).

CRC Chairman, Tony McCusker, says: “Community Relations Week next week, which will showcase the hugely important work that goes on across Northern Ireland throughout the year to deal with the legacy of the conflict and build a shared and better future.”

Community Relations Week 2009 will feature events across all six counties of Northern Ireland on themes including: reimaging communities through art in order to support good relations; the role of community relations in building a successful economy; the successful regeneration of contentious sites; and promoting acceptance in society through sport.

Events are being organised by a range of voluntary, public and private organisations. Organisers of events include: the Community Relations Council; local councils; community and voluntary organisations; statutory bodies; sports and cultural organisations.

Events showcased at the launch event today, include an under 17 Linfield Ladies Football team who are hosting a football weekend with under 17 ladies’ teams from Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic Football Clubs which will include anti sectarianism training sessions run by the IFA’s ‘Football for All’ staff, April 24 to 26; Youth Initiatives’ Crosslinks project which will see young people aged from 14 to 20 perform at the Black Box in Belfast April  26 and 27 illustrating the breadth of their work through art, dance, drama and song; Peacelines forgiveness education project’s talk and exhibition of clay pieces entitled ‘The Shape of our Anger’ April 29; the Motion Project multi cultural collective who are performing music at events across Northern Ireland during Community Relations Week.

Further details of events taking place in Community Relations Week are available at www.nicrc.org.uk.

Notes to editor:

Community Relations Week

Community Relations Week first took place in 2000. Since then it has grown in scale and prominence and is now considered the most important date in the community relations calendar. It is organised and coordinated by the Community Relations Council and features events organised by a wide-range of organisations across Northern Ireland. It is intended to showcase the quality and importance of community relations work and to encourage others to play their part in building a shared and better future for Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Community Relations Council (CRC)

CRC was established by government in January 1990 as an independent company and registered charity to promote better community relations between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland and, equally, to promote recognition of cultural diversity. CRC has developed considerable expertise in supporting victims and survivors of violence in Northern Ireland, as well as acting as the lead funder in reconciliation and inter-community peace-building.