Published on : Sunday, June 22, 2014
Derry City Council is launching a new Craft Development Programme on Friday, June 20 2014 at the Craft Village. The programme will encourage and facilitate the development and growth of the craft sector in the Derry City Council area. It is part funded by Derry City Council, Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland and will run until 30 June 2015.
The launch will bring together designer-makers, crafters and craft organisations across the city as well as key sectoral agencies. The UK City of Culture year in 2013 has been a great catalyst for craft which the Craft Development Programme will build on to increase the visibility of a vibrant craft community, stimulate new craft businesses and develop new markets for the existing craft sector to ensure the ongoing sustainability and longevity of the sector.
The launch will also display the winning entry of a recent competition for crafters to create trophies for the Clipper Round the World Yacht race. The trophies which have been designed and created by ‘DocPot’ will be presented to the winning Clipper crews next week, bringing Derry crafts to an international audience.
Mayor, Councillor Brenda Stevenson said ‘Derry City Council is delighted to be launching the Craft Development Programme. It is an exciting platform to raise the profile and visibility of craft in our city to a national and international audience and recognises the important role of craft in contributing to cultural, social and economic prosperity. The crafts sector cuts across the fabric of tourism, industry, health, social and economic development, visual arts and culture. The programme seeks to address obstacles to the growth of the sector through a range of initiatives covering events, exhibitions, craft trail, networks, business support programmes, marketing and e-commerce.’
Des Gartland, Invest NI’s North Western Regional Manager said: ‘The Craft Development Programme will give new and existing businesses practical support to help grow their businesses. Programmes such as this are bringing wide ranging benefits to a large number of our small and medium sized enterprises that could open up new opportunities for export and growth.’
Alan Kane, Chief Executive of Craft Northern Ireland said ‘Craft Northern Ireland are delighted to be involved with the launch of the Craft Development Programme. It is fantastic to see high quality initiatives providing local support tailored to local needs. We have no doubt that this will act as a beacon of best practice to inspire the rest of the sector in Northern Ireland’.
Deirdre Harte, Craft Development Officer who has recently been appointed by Derry City Council to manage the programme said ‘I am looking forward to working with the craft sector to facilitate initiatives that will both stimulate new businesses as well as develop and grow the existing sector. This is a great time to be launching the Craft Development Programme, to build on legacy of UK City of Culture legacy and create synergy with a range of exciting initiatives in the creative sector. If you are currently considering a new craft business or looking for support to develop an existing business in the Derry City Council area we would love to hear from you.’
The launch of the Craft Development Programme will take place on Friday 20 June 2014 from 10.15am to 12.15pm in the Thatched Cottage of the Craft Village. Places are free but should be booked in advance. The launch will provide details of support available to craft businesses in the Derry City Council area. One of the first initiatives to be developed is an Export Programme which will provide support to existing craft businesses to develop capacity to export and to participate in exhibitions/ tradeshows. The deadline for applications to the Export Programme is 16 July 2014.
Source:- Derry Londonderry
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