By Conor Sharkey
It's official, Strabane is a place to be proud of. But you need not take the word of the Strabane Chronicle, an all-island judging panel has given the town its prestigious mark of approval with a 'Pride of 2007 Award'.
Local development body Strabane 2000 was presented with Co-Operation Ireland's, All-Island award at a gala award ceremony in Westport this week.
The highly prestigious award recognises the effort and hard work local people have made to improve their community.
Judges visited the town earlier this year, where they were given guided tours of various local landmarks as well as the new Alley Theatre, the Railway Road Retail Park and the new look Main Street.
Welcoming the fact that Strabane is now officially a place to be proud of, Strabane 2000 chairman Jarlath McNulty said, "This is fantastic news for Strabane. The judges from Co-operation Ireland visited Strabane in July this year and recognised the amazing transformation this town has undertaken and will continue to do so with many new facility developments and improvements to come.
"The judges saw for themselves how Strabane has moved away from its troubled past. They also had an opportunity to talk to many local people, public representatives and business owners. This gave them a chance to hear the optimism, spirit and enthusiasm that local people have. The judges went away knowing that there are many local people who are rightly proud to call Strabane their home and that in many ways, we are a perfect illustration of pride of place," he said.
Chief Executive of Strabane District Council Philip Faithfull said he hoped that other major companies would take note of the award and that it would lead to further investment in the near future.
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"The judges acknowledged the major changes that have taken place in our town centre. These improvements have only been possible because of partnership arrangements between Strabane District Council, Strabane 2000, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the statutory agencies, funding bodies and indeed private developers. Everyone realises that there is still a long way to go but this award is in recognition that the efforts made by many have made a difference and will act as a catalyst for further improvements in the future. There are still many areas of the town centre that require major regeneration activity and this award, will I hope, encourage new investment opportunities," Mr Faithufull.
