Alliance Councillor Tim Morrow has said he will continue to work hard to ensure Lisburn and Castlereagh remains an open and inclusive place for everyone, as he reflected on his year as Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh.
Having enjoyed an extremely successful year, Tim said he would continue to work for everyone across the Borough, sharing his vision of an integrated, peaceful and prosperous society.
He added: “Over the past year no group or scheme has been off limits when it comes to my time or genuine interest in everything and everyone who plays a part in our great Council area. This shared and integrated ethos has not only formed the basis of my year in office, but is something I will continue to promote in the months and years ahead.
“For me, highlights have included having the opportunity to see first-hand the great work that is going on right across the area at a local community level, work that is carried out by people giving freely of their time for the benefit of others.
“During my term I invited a wide range of ministers and representatives from various denominations, Christian and non-christian to open our Council meetings. From the many hundreds of events I attended, the rededication of the window dedicated to the victims of the La Mon bombing was particularly moving. I was privileged to meet members of the Royal family on a number of occasions during their visits to the area, including Prince Harry and the now Duchess of Sussex. Of the many fundraising events, possibly the most fun, and certainly the most colourful, was my last event, the Colour Run in Wallace Park.
“I’m also thankful the Mayoral role allowed me to raise awareness of two charities close to my heart in the Corrymeela Community and Habitat for Humanity and I want to thank everyone who helped me raise much needed funds to enable these two charities to continue their good work.
“With the Stormont stalemate showing no signs of changing and the increasing unknown that surrounds Brexit, Alliance has a key role to play for all those who don’t want to see an increasingly polarised society that allows barriers and division to creep in.
“From my family background in farming I know how important our membership of the EU has been for the industry and how vital it is that there are no barriers to the current valuable trading relationship with the Republic. Alliance has been to the forefront in proposing innovative solutions to mitigate against a hard and damaging Brexit, and I am confident our approach is the right one.”