Council give green light for public events

MID Ulster District Council’s officers are to prepare a corporate events calendar for the 2022/23 year but have warned all events are still considered ‘at risk’ due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cookstown Continental Market, the Coalisland Summer Bash and the Halloween and Christmas celebrations events are all back on the calendar for the year ahead.

Due to the nature of many of the events, planning needs to commence as soon as possible as procurement exercises need to be conducted and applications for statutory approvals for things such as road closures need to be submitted.

The council was advised that all this planning could only proceed ‘at risk’ and if events need to be scaled back or cancelled, Council may not have any recourse over any expenditure that has been incurred.

Councillor John McNamee thanked officers for bringing forward this report and proposed officers proceed with the events planning on an at risk basis and procure and engage specialist support to conduct a review on the current portfolio of events.

“We have to prepare ourselves like other organisations out there, for events that we hope will take place this year,” he said.

“Hopefully, with road closures and that we are well placed now and the pandemic will hopefully stay away and we will have a good few events this year.”

Councillor Niamh Doris said she would be “delighted” to second the report noting the events had been missed over the last few years.

“I am looking forward to going to a lot of them, particularly the Newell Stores 10K in Coalisland and it will be great to have everyone back together for that after the last two years we have had so I am looking forward to it.”

The Cookstown Continental Market is scheduled to take place on May 28 and May 29. The Coalisland Summer Bash, an evening of free family fun will take place at the Lineside, Coalisland on Friday, June 24 alongside the annual Newell 10K and 5K run.

Lumarina will also return with the newly redeveloped Ballyronan Marina illuminated with spectacular fireworks and family-friendly entertainment and activities during the festival, set for Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20.