St Augustine’s Church, Londonderry (the wee church on the walls)

A vibrant living church occupying the oldest, and arguably the most significant, ecclesiastic site in the city, St Augustine’s offers a mixture of both traditional and more contemporary worship.  In normal times the church enjoys a positive community profile and is the host for many events and concerts.  Having become more involved with tourism within the city, the church is also one of the attractions on the newly launched visitors pass.  With that in mind, an application was made for a contribution towards commissioning a project that celebrates and tells the story of St Columba’s connection with their church site and the Saint’s significance to Londonderry as a whole.  As a cross-community project, it is intended to be used within city tourism and the digital format expected to appeal to school children of all ages – providing a legacy for years to come.  Having sight of the project proposal and it’s both informative and entertaining style (and recognising that churches have difficulty sourcing grant aid and their income is greatly reduced during periods of closure), the Committee agreed a grant of £2,000.