Economy Minister visits North Down

Date published: 23 February 2022

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has carried out a series of visits in Bangor and Donaghadee.

Pictured beside the Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat are Alan Couser, Chairman, Donaghadee Historical Preservation Company; Shirley Cochrane, Director, Donaghadee Historical Preservation Company; and Economy Minister Gordon Lyons.
Pictured beside the Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat are Alan Couser, Chairman, Donaghadee Historical Preservation Company; Shirley Cochrane, Director, Donaghadee Historical Preservation Company; and Economy Minister Gordon Lyons.

The Minister firstly visited South Eastern Regional College’s SPACE campus in Bangor, the college’s Performing Arts, Computing and Engineering facility, where he met staff and students.

The Minister said:

“I was very pleased to visit Bangor and Donaghadee and engage with an interesting and varied range of business, education and tourism organisations and ventures.

“SPACE at SERC’s Bangor campus, opened in 2015, was the result of a £11.6million investment by my Department and includes industry-standard, state-of-the-art learning facilities that are accessible to all. SPACE is equipping learners with the skills they need for the key local engineering, IT and creative industry sectors, and aligns well with my Department’s 10X Economic Vision for a decade of innovation.”

The Minister then went to Donaghadee where he viewed the historical Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat before visiting some of the town’s independent traders.

Mr Lyons commented:

“The Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat is a fascinating piece of local history, given its role in rescuing 33 of the 44 survivors of the infamous sinking of the MV Princess Victoria in 1953, and in salvaging the dead from the sea around the wreck. I wish the Donaghadee Historical Preservation Company every success as they work to protect this important historical artefact for future generations and look to maximise its tourism potential.”

Finally, the Minister visited Bow Bells Coffee Shop followed by independent retailer Wild Thing in Donaghadee town centre.

The Minister said:

“I was delighted to meet Lewis Waterworth, owner of the fantastic Bow Bells establishment, and Karen and Martin Looney, who own the innovative botanical and accessories store Wild Thing. Mr Waterworth took ownership of Bow Bells during the pandemic, not only protecting but also expanding the business, and has positioned the café very strongly for the future as the economic recovery continues.

“Meanwhile Mr and Mrs Looney told me of the difficulties they experienced during the last two years, but I was pleased to hear that their business not just survived, but thrived.

“In both cases, the business owners reported that they availed of essential grant support from my Department to help them through the worst of the pandemic. And they described how, more recently, my Department’s High Street Scheme benefitted them, with increased footfall in Donaghadee town centre and many people, both from the town and further afield, choosing to use their Spend Local cards with them.”

The Minister concluded:

“I was hugely encouraged to see the positivity that abounds across these education, tourism and business ventures. North Down has a strong track record of success in these fields, and it is heartening to know that my Department has played a key role in positioning North Down as an attractive place to live, visit and do business.”

Notes to editors: 

  1. The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department’s internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
     
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