Latest news with #FountainPrimary
Belfast Telegraph
16-05-2025
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Royal welcome as Princess Anne meets schoolchildren and veterans on surprise visit to Derry
She met young people in the Fountain estate before speaking with war veterans in Ebrington, which has been transformed from an Army barracks into an asset for the city. Children from Fountain Primary and Nursery schools lined the streets waving Union flags to welcome the Princess Royal for her first engagement of the day. Princess Anne presented with flowers on visit to Londonderry Opened in 1972, the Cathedral Youth Club was awarded The King's Award for Voluntary Service in 2024. The youth club has been providing community activities and initiatives for over 50 years, including programmes for older people, such as art classes, patchwork classes and Irish history classes. Making her way to the other side of the River Foyle, Anne greeted veterans in front of the International Sailor Statue at Ebrington Square. Speaking to this newspaper, Jack Garfield and Frank Brown from the Royal Naval Association outlined the significance of the statue. They said it was a replica of a statue from Halifax in Canada and made by the same sculptor. 'The sailor is carrying his hammock,' Mr Garfield explained. 'That's how you went from ship to ship, carrying your hammock and your kit bag – that was your whole worldly possessions. 'He's called the International Sailor because, during the Second World War, we had American allies and Canadian and Portuguese and other places. 'It is to let the public know what it was all about and it will be there when we're gone.' During the war, Derry and the River Foyle were of immense strategic importance and played a major role in the Battle of the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic became the crucial supply line for food and munitions to Britain during that period and, in recognition of Derry's vital role for the Allies, it was decided that the River Foyle should be the location of the formal U-Boat surrender. A series of commemorative events to mark the 80th anniversary are taking place in the area from May 15-18. Mr Garfield and Mr Brown said they mark the occasion every year because the U-boats intended to 'cripple Britain' and 'if they did it would've been the end of the war, and Hitler would've been here instead of the Princess Royal'. He said it was an 'extra special' anniversary and that other branches from Cork to Derry will be joining them over the coming days. Princess Anne visits Ebrington site in Londonderry The princess then met with a number of owners and employees from businesses in Ebrington. That included James Huey who was first to open a business on the site called the Walled City Brewery. He told Anne that it was 10 years to the day since he had opened and quipped that it was nice of her to travel over to 'celebrate our birthday with us', which drew a laugh. With award-winning businesses moving into the site recently, Mr Huey said the visit is another sign that 'Ebrington has finally made it'. On her way to Ebrington Hotel, the princess was presented with a bouquet of flowers by a young girl. She attended a small reception at the hotel with guests including Royal Navy personnel, veterans and families, the Royal Naval Association, Canadian naval visitors and naval attaches. Ebrington Hotel owner Cecil Doherty was delighted with the visit and said the venue was built to cater for such high-profile events. He added that it's a 'great occasion for the entire Ebrington site' which is 'a symbol of peace and reconciliation'. On her final engagement of the day, Anne visited the Clinical Translational Research & Innovation Centre (C-TRIC), a state-of-the-art facility and not-for-profit company based on the Altnagelvin Hospital site. C-TRIC is a regional asset that facilitates collaboration between universities and life and health science companies with the NHS, enabling clinical research aimed at improving patient care in the community.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pupils cross the divide by walking Derry's Walls
Pupils from two primary schools in Londonderry have joined forces to take part in a unity walk along the city's historic walls. The children from the Fountain estate and Long Tower on the edge of the Bogside said they wanted to show that working together was the best way forward for everyone. The walk was organised after recent sectarian violence flared in the city. Long Tower Primary School principal Joyce Logue said there had been several incidents over the Easter holidays in and around the interface at the Fountain. She said the schools had been left disappointed by the outbreak of violence. "It's not what we want for our children and it's not who we are. We thought a unity walk would show that we work together and underline the good things in this area rather than highlight what is not so good," she said. About 50 pupils from Long Tower and Fountain primary schools stepped on to the ramparts to complete a circuit of the city's historic walls. They were joined by representatives of different churches in the city in a show of solidarity. The walk was focused on the unity that exists between both schools. The principal of Fountain Primary School, Stephen Torney, said it was a powerful symbol for the wider city and beyond. "Bringing our communities together is so vital," he said. "We want to focus on the positives and all the work that the school and the communities can do together." There have been a spate of disturbances in Derry, some of which the police are treating as sectarian hate crimes. Youths attacked each other and the police and there were a number of assaults. Mr Torney said friendships formed between pupils at a young age could prove enriching in the long term. "The children often come back to me and tell me how they have later met children that they worked with through shared education and they've built friendships with them so that's really important for me," he said. The children from both schools welcomed the opportunity to take part in the unity walk. "It's good to get together and have fun and have a laugh," Long Tower pupil Niall said. "More people will want to become friends with different schools and people from different faiths." Raghd from Fountain Primary said it was a good idea to meet new people and make friends. Harry, who also attends Fountain Primary added: "I think that shared education is really good because we get to work with other people instead of just our friends."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pupils cross the divide by walking Derry's Walls
Pupils from two primary schools in Londonderry have joined forces to take part in a unity walk along the city's historic walls. The children from the Fountain estate and Long Tower on the edge of the Bogside said they wanted to show that working together was the best way forward for everyone. The walk was organised after recent sectarian violence flared in the city. Long Tower Primary School principal Joyce Logue said there had been several incidents over the Easter holidays in and around the interface at the Fountain. She said the schools had been left disappointed by the outbreak of violence. "It's not what we want for our children and it's not who we are. We thought a unity walk would show that we work together and underline the good things in this area rather than highlight what is not so good," she said. About 50 pupils from Long Tower and Fountain primary schools stepped on to the ramparts to complete a circuit of the city's historic walls. They were joined by representatives of different churches in the city in a show of solidarity. The walk was focused on the unity that exists between both schools. The principal of Fountain Primary School, Stephen Torney, said it was a powerful symbol for the wider city and beyond. "Bringing our communities together is so vital," he said. "We want to focus on the positives and all the work that the school and the communities can do together." There have been a spate of disturbances in Derry, some of which the police are treating as sectarian hate crimes. Youths attacked each other and the police and there were a number of assaults. Mr Torney said friendships formed between pupils at a young age could prove enriching in the long term. "The children often come back to me and tell me how they have later met children that they worked with through shared education and they've built friendships with them so that's really important for me," he said. The children from both schools welcomed the opportunity to take part in the unity walk. "It's good to get together and have fun and have a laugh," Long Tower pupil Niall said. "More people will want to become friends with different schools and people from different faiths." Raghd from Fountain Primary said it was a good idea to meet new people and make friends. Harry, who also attends Fountain Primary added: "I think that shared education is really good because we get to work with other people instead of just our friends."
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Derry: Pupils cross the divide by walking city's historic walls
Pupils from two primary schools in Londonderry have joined forces to take part in a unity walk along the city's historic walls. The children from the Fountain estate and Long Tower on the edge of the Bogside said they wanted to show that working together was the best way forward for everyone. The walk was organised after recent sectarian violence flared in the Tower Primary School principal Joyce Logue said there had been several incidents over the Easter holidays in and around the interface at the Fountain. She said the schools had been left disappointed by the outbreak of violence."It's not what we want for our children and it's not who we are. We thought a unity walk would show that we work together and underline the good things in this area rather than highlight what is not so good," she 50 pupils from Long Tower and Fountain primary schools stepped on to the ramparts to complete a circuit of the city's historic walls. They were joined by representatives of different churches in the city in a show of solidarity. The walk was focused on the unity that exists between both schools. The principal of Fountain Primary School, Stephen Torney, said it was a powerful symbol for the wider city and beyond. "Bringing our communities together is so vital," he said."We want to focus on the positives and all the work that the school and the communities can do together."There have been a spate of disturbances in Derry, some of which the police are treating as sectarian hate crimes. Youths attacked each other and the police and there were a number of assaults. Mr Torney said friendships formed between pupils at a young age could prove enriching in the long term."The children often come back to me and tell me how they have later met children that they worked with through shared education and they've built friendships with them so that's really important for me," he children from both schools welcomed the opportunity to take part in the unity walk. "It's good to get together and have fun and have a laugh," Long Tower pupil Niall said."More people will want to become friends with different schools and people from different faiths."Raghd from Fountain Primary said it was a good idea to meet new people and make friends. Harry, who also attends Fountain Primary added: "I think that shared education is really good because we get to work with other people instead of just our friends."
