Antrim Coast to host renewal conference

The event on Thursday, September 4 and Friday 5 will take place in Carnlough and Ballygally and include presebtations, workshops and a range of speakers from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Opening at lunchtime on the first day, the conference, facilitated by North Antrim Community Network, will involve participant village groups from the North East Region RDP and Waterford Leader Partnership as they report on their experiences of village renewal and their north-south cooperation project.

The workshop will include village group presentations and be supported by a range of facilitators from the wider rural development 
network.

On the Friday, the morning session will focus on discussion and presentations from a wide range of rural represenatives and experts, including speakers from The Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (NI), a speaker representing the Finnish Rural Parliament, international cooperation partners in Finland, and Republic of Ireland, and local speakers from North Antrim Community Network and the Rural Development Council.

The conference will close with a final session that looks forward to the next Rural Development Programme, commencing in 2015.

The conference is open to village groups, rural communities, rural practitioners and politicians who would like to learn more about village renewal projects and the exprience of international cooperation

It is a free event, however capacity is limited and therefore booking is essential through: North East Region, Ecos Centre, Ballymena, BT43 7QA. Call 028 2563 8263m, email [email protected] or see www.northeastrdp.com