Derry Initiative delivers road safety conference to Inishowen pupils

From left are Jack Le Masurier (Scoil Mhuire), Fianna McCool (Moville Community College), Ella McCarron (Deele College) and Aaron Kerr (Royal and Prior). Gillian Maxwell (Rural Action), Buncrana Station officer Don Magee, Donegal Fire Service, Donna McCloskey (Triax Neighbourhood Management Team - TNMT), Garda Colm Mooney, Roads Policing Unit, Buncrana, Sharon Semple, Better Together Project, David McSpadden, paramedic, National Ambulance Service, Ollie Warnock (Road Safe NI) and Debbie Mullan, Vice Chair, Life After).

The initiative, which forms part of the cross-border project ‘Better Together’ and is funded through the International Fund for Ireland’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP) – welcomed 351 students to Scoil Mhuire Secondary School in Buncrana. During the conference, participants heard from the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Garda Síochána and Road Safety Authority on the importance of road safety.

The initiative, facilitated by BBI, targets transition year pupils with the key aim of increasing awareness on road safety and the impact of dangerous or careless driving on roads on both sides of the border. As part of this, it gave the young people a chance to engage directly with relevant stakeholders involved in RTC's including Gardai, Fire Service, Ambulance Service.

Partner organisation Life After provided personal testimonies of losing loved ones and of helping other families who have lost someone to the roads.

International Fund for Ireland (IFI) Board Member, Sadie McDermott said:“The IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme focuses on embedding lasting relationships on a cross-border basis by supporting cooperation and innovation between groups and organisations North and South on projects that have a meaningful benefit for local communities.

“Bringing together students from Moville Community College and Deele college Raphoe facilitated important cross border engagement between local communities, whilst engaging on important issues that are impacting their local communities – on this occasion, road safety.

“A key element of this project is the partnership working with other like-minded organisations who support their local community. It is hoped that as part of this initiative, young people will not only gain a better understanding of the importance of road safety, preventing potential dangerous or careless driving.”

The Better Together Project seeks to increase cross border interaction by delivering shared projects, activities and learning on a range of issues that are tailored for the local areas across the Derry, Donegal border.

Sadie added: “The Better Together Project is already demonstrating its ability to facilitate meaningful change in often neglected communities along our border. A key element of this success is the commitment to understand the needs of communities, the initiatives that are being delivered are tailored to what is needed across the areas of Killea, Buncrana, Muff and Lifford.”

Better Together is working with several other local partners to deliver a range of initiatives and training to the local area, specifically; working with the Hive Cancer Support, formerly known as the Pink Ladies Cancer Support Group, to develop further health and wellbeing initiatives and the Killea Community Park and Tidy Towns supporting a range of socio-environmental programmes.

Sharon Semple, Development Worker with the ‘Better Together Project’ added: “The RTC event is a much-needed awareness session for young people from across the border region and provides them an opportunity to interact with emergency services and increase their knowledge of road safety.”