Retailer brings SPARkle to 50th anniversary of speech and drama festival
Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival recently celebrated 50 years of nurturing young people’s creativity and talent, and were supported by local retailer, SPAR NI to bring some extra SPARkle to the festival.
This year’s festival took place from 25th – 29th November, hosting an impressive 2,000 schoolchildren from across Northern Ireland, who showcased their talents in poetry, drama and public speaking.
The Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival has long been a cornerstone of the cultural calendar, providing a platform for young people to develop their communication skills, confidence and passion for performing arts since 1974.
It is the first year SPAR NI has supported the event as a key sponsor alongside Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, enabling organisers to run the event each year. The 50th milestone provided the ideal platform for the retailer, whose stores can be found in every community in Northern Ireland, to celebrate all the festival has done for its local communities.
Brenda Mulligan from SPAR NI commented; “As a committed supporter of community focused initiatives, we are proud to support the Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival during its 50th anniversary celebrations. For so many years, this event has empowered and nurtured young people from many different communities and backgrounds across Northern Ireland, which aligns with SPAR’s mission to nurture our local neighbourhoods and support the future talent within our communities.”
Patricia Mulligan, Festival Director for Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival added; “We have enjoyed a really successful week of performances from young people across Northern Ireland, celebrating an incredible 50 years of our festival.
“We were delighted to welcome 2,000 schoolchildren from many different communities and areas of Northern Ireland to celebrate the performing arts, and allow a safe and nurturing platform for them to share their skills, creativity and talent.
“On behalf of our team of organisers, I would like to thank SPAR NI for their continued support, which once again enabled us to put on a fantastic week for our participants and their supporters. Here’s to the next 50 years!”
