Community Festival Funding – £40 000 available Jim Shannon, DUP MP for Strangford, has commended Ards Borough Council for their continued support for community festival funding. Between the Northern Ireland Assembly and Ards borough Council some £40 000 has been made available for projects right across the Ards Borough. Community groups, church events, Orangefest, Christmas, Halloween, Ulster Scots and fund days – all backed and supported by the local authority. This initiative put forward by Edwin Poots when he was in the role of DCAL minister had set aside funding which enabled local community groups to work with their local authorities and build up relationships whilst providing a service across the length and breadth of Ards. I am most impressed by what has been done and what will be done over the next few months.]]>