Up-beat Ards and North Down Councillor Joe Boyle has described Portaferry as “an area that has come to life beyond all expectations” since the recent filming throughout the community and the re-opening of Exploris along with the re-opening of the Portaferry Hotel several months ago.
He said: “The past two years for me have been the most absorbing, the most time consuming but equally the most rewarding within the many years of public service. It has been an amazing journey involving so many meetings along the way with so many people, some positive some not so positive, some highs, some lows and yet through all of this I never doubted that Exploris would once again open its doors to the public.
“Whenever Ards Council voted to close the facility, many were quite happy to adopt the thinking that ‘we’ve done it, it’s gone and we’ll have no more bother with that place’.
“It was particularly challenging for me but I adopted the thinking that Exploris had to close to re-open, and for me it was a tactical decision and not similar to the thinking of the other Councillors who’s only desire was to close Exploris.
“Whilst I notice recently politicians releasing press releases of how they and their party colleagues ‘saved’ Exploris along with those who simply voted to terminate the existence of Exploris with no concern for it’s future. Now they are keen to enjoy the publicity that it is generating.”
Councillor Boyle added: “It was hugely beneficial to the community and supporters of Exploris to have people of the calibre of my SDLP colleagues Patsy McGlone MLA, the then Chairperson of Department for Enterprise Trade and Investment Committee (DETI), who brought his Stormont committee to Exploris for an all important meeting to discuss Exploris and listen to local testimony.
“I along with the many campaigners battling to save Exploris were delighted that a further SDLP party colleague and then Minister for the Department of Environment (DOE) Mark H Durkan MLA agreed to a funding package of in excess of £1million.
“The remaining ten Executive Ministers at that time from all other parties particularly those responsible for Tourism and Education and the DUP & Sinn Fein didn’t recognise their respective departments to be relevant to the funding or assisting this facility, something that didn’t go unnoticed by campaigners and supporters.
“The reality is that the funding allocated by the SDLP DOE Minister Mark H Durkan MLA secured the future of this all important significant tourism / educational facility in Portaferry.
“My thanks goes to the former Chief Executive and his staff from the legacy Ards Borough Council along with the current Chief Executive and his staff from Ards and North Down Council for bringing this all together along with the excellent newly appointed operators, CRG Ltd.
“I also salute all those supporters and organisations who stood shoulder to shoulder in their fight and desire to see Exploris re-opened. We can all now look forward to many tourists arriving in Portaferry, and therefore contributing to a stronger more vibrant economy for Portaferry, the Ards Peninsula and the overall Ards and North Down Borough Council area.”
