Newcastle Chamber of Commerce 20th Anniversary – 1 October 2009

Madam Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank Newcastle Chamber of Commerce for the invitation to attend this 20th Anniversary Celebration here tonight and for the excellent meal.

I welcome the great work undertaken by the Chamber in Newcastle and I congratulate you on the positive contribution you have all made, and continue to make, to the economic and social life of the town.  As an MLA I am all too aware of the important role played by the Chamber in Newcastle. As Social Development Minister with responsibility for regeneration, I know that you have played a key role in the regeneration of the town, often behind the scenes and out of the limelight.

Newcastle has made much progress in the last couple of years which has seen the huge improvements to the Promenade and Main Street carried out by Down District Council and my Department but also significant investment by local business people like yourselves.  

The award-winning regeneration of the town has been recognised internationally with favourable comments from visitors from all parts of the World.

Today we see Newcastle renewed – ‘it is not exactly restored to its former glory’, rather it is ready for the 21st century and a new era of tourism, recreation and entertainment.

The contribution of the Chamber in the delivery of the Promenade and Streetscape Schemes clearly demonstrates that in towns where local business people work together in a structured way their town tends to do better than those where there is not that co-ordinated effort.

I know that you will continue to give priority to the future development of the town into a prosperous, economically buoyant, bustling resort that welcomes all.

I too share that objective and will work alongside you to achieve this.

I believe there is tremendous potential for Newcastle to grow into a first class destination for visitors from all over these islands and further afield.  The volume of 2 week summer holidays taken in Newcastle may be limited but the natural attractions of the Mourne Mountains, forest parks, beaches and nature reserves have the potential to attract visitors in increasing numbers if well marketed by the Tourist Board and Down District Council.  I am confident that they both can rise to the challenge.

Social Development is not just about town centre regeneration and improvements to the Public Realm or shiny new buildings.  It also relates to how we live together following the conflicts of the past and develop as an inclusive, peaceful and prosperous society.

Happily, Newcastle was spared the worst of the Troubles over the last 30 to 40 years. It is a credit to the people of the area that, despite setbacks and the overall climate of violence in the North, Newcastle continued to operate as a Shared Community.

I believe that with the absence of violence and with political institutions in place building a Shared Future is the biggest challenge we now face.

We live apart, we are educated apart, we mostly socialise apart – that is just not normal. And if we do nothing about it, then the cycle just repeats itself endlessly and all of our prejudices and fears get handed on to the next generation. We owe it to the next generation to break this cycle.

And I believe that we in this part of the world – Newcastle, Downpatrick and beyond in the greater South/East – can act as exemplars for the kind of social development that is needed all over Northern Ireland.

Recently I have attended public meetings in towns and cities right across Northern Ireland to discuss the Shared Future issue with local people and listen to their views. The meetings have been well attended and there have been many interesting ideas suggested and debated.

When I complete this exercise I intend to produce a discussion paper for my colleagues on the Executive. I am determined to face this issue head on and contribute to making Northern Ireland a better place for all of us to live and work in and I intend to bring my Executive colleagues with me.  I would like to hear your views on how our society can develop and I would welcome the views of the Chamber and local individuals on this issue.

Before I finish I would like to take this opportunity to pay special tribute to the former Chairman of Newcastle Chamber, Peter Law, for his 20 years of dedicated commitment to the town and people of Newcastle.  Peter’s hard work through difficult times paid dividends in recent years with all of the improvements to the town that I mentioned earlier.  I hope that the Chamber will continue to work together for many years to come to build on the successes that have been achieved to date under Peter’s leadership.

I wish the Chamber continued success for the future and I would like to thank you once again for inviting me to share this evening with you.