Belfast, Antrim -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/19/2012 -- Stream Advertising might not be part of the great pantheon of arts and culture, but that does not mean the Belfast-based firm is not well aware of the city’s expanding art scene, and a recent cash injection for the Cathedral Quarter has not gone unnoticed by the firm. It seems the Laganside Events Grant (LEG), which had been due to shut up shop in March, is to receive funding of £250,000 – £200,000 from the Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, and £50,000 from the Department of Social Development (DSD) – which a source at Stream is confident will give the area a much needed adrenaline shot. Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland clearly shares Stream Advertising’s optimism and hope for the area, saying recently that his department was “keen to see the area developed”.
Mr McCausland had already informed groups previously funded through the grant that funds were to be cut off. It was reported by the BBC News website that the Social Development Minister was grateful that Sammy Wilson managed to drum up additional money to support the grant, but stressed that it was “important that those groups who have received this grant previously now work to achieve long-term financial sustainability”, and urged that these groups “move away from reliance on public funding”. Mr McCausland went on to say: “I hope to engage with the Cathedral Quarter in the coming weeks, to explore how best to achieve this necessary objective, given the current economic climate.”
Stream Advertising can see the benefits in developing a long-term game plan. “The cash boost will help the Cathedral Quarter, no doubt, but it’s not a permanent solution to the problem of funding. If the groups using the Cathedral Quarter are to thrive, they need to find a way of being completely self-sufficient in the future.”
The Laganside Events grant supports cultural events in Belfast, and the hub of all artistic and cultural activity within the city is undoubtedly the Cathedral Quarter. Paul McErlean, chairman of the Cathedral Quarter Steering Group, was quoted on the BBC News website as saying: “The events which this fund underpins are extremely popular both locally and with visitors from further afield and this is just recognition of the work that has taken place in the Cathedral Quarter over many years to create a shared cultural space in the most historic part of the city.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17067176