Organisers of a mass protest in Armagh demanding Stormont MLAs ‘Get Back to Work’ are appealing to those planning to attend to let them know.
The #WeDeserveBetter rally will take place outside the Market House in the centre of Armagh city on Tuesday, August 28.
It is one of 16 events being held all over Northern Ireland to highlight how, on that date, we will smash the world record for the country which has gone the longest without a functioning government.
A reflection of the common dissatisfaction of the public, there has been a huge response to the campaign to date. Organisers of the Armagh rally – which will take place from 7pm on that date – held a meeting in the Armagh City Hotel on Friday night to plan the finer details.
It was on Thursday night that Armagh I first reported the intention to stage the event in the city.
Anna McCann, one of five residents behind the rally, said Friday night’s meeting had gone “really well” and the event is gaining momentum.
She told Armagh I: “It is going to be a family-friendly event with a positive atmosphere and lots of colour!
“The idea is to bring at least 589 people together and have each person holding a number to represent every day we have not had a functioning government.
“Children are encouraged to come along and to make colourful signs.
“Organisers are now allocating numbers to those who are DEFINITELY able to attend. If you are intending to go along leave a comment on the event page on Facebook to be given your number.
“As there is no funding for this event, organisers are asking that everyone brings their own number already prepared to the event on an A3 card – or cardboard of similar size.
“They ask that numbers are as big and colourful as possible.”
Anna added: “We have a great team of local people who want to see a positive change. Our event poster is being shared on Facebook, but we would ideally love a local printer to help with the costs of producing leaflets and posters.
“We are setting up an online fundraising page to make it easier for people to donate. Volunteers will be heading out tomorrow (Monday) to meet people face to face and boost our fundraising to make sure we can deliver a powerful statement to Dormant Stormont.
“We have speakers lined up to talk about how this is affecting education and health and we are approaching some other people to see if they want to speak about how funding being cut is impacting on their lives.
“If you feel like you want your voice heard contact the organisers through the event page.”
Please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/441633426349061/
