But one group in the city has encouraged people from all parts of the Northern Irish equation to meet, tell their stories and share their experiences.

Since 2000, Towards Understanding and Healing has provided a safe and open environment at its Bishop Street base for people to talk openly about their experiences and the role they played during the Troubles.

Using storytelling and dialogue as a form of therapy, former British soldiers have met with former republican prisoners and loyalists have listened to people driven out of their homes by violence.

For the past eight years the group has addressed the lasting legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland and last week they launched a resource pack to equip others with the tools to deal with the past.

Sara Cook, co-ordinator of Towards Understanding and Healing, said the group came to life in 2000 thanks to local community workers in Derry.

She said: “The group was started in 2000 by Maureen Hetherington and Eamonn Deane. They were getting requests from people about opportunities to meet with others involved in the Troubles. Some people thought that was what they needed to move forward.

“They pulled a diverse bunch of people together and it was such a powerful experience they have done it ever since.”

A diverse range of people meet to share their experiences through storytelling, giving them a chance to see other people who have gone through the same thing.

Sara said: “They are diverse groups of people who really want to meet with their perceived enemy. They get access to people they would not normally meet.

“It is about the humanisation of the Troubles. People have demonised each other and it is a concrete way of getting people together.”

The resource pack, which was launched on Thursday, is based on various sessions held in Derry over the past eight years and includes a DVD, training manual and book.

Sara said: “It is really hard to capture these sessions which is why the DVD is really powerful.

“We bring people together for residentials involving 12 - 18 people and the whole thing is about storytelling which involves people in smaller groups. They have an uninterrupted space to share their stories.”

Founder, Maureen Hetherington, said: “Towards Understanding and Healing hopes that these training resources will offer positive, proactive ways of dealing with the past to many individuals and communities who have been impacted by the conflict in and about Northern Ireland.”

For more information about the Towards Understanding and Healing contact 02871370685 or email Sara at scook@thejunction-ni.org.