THE Londonderry Bands Forum says it stands by its decision to attend last weekend’s Sinn Fein Ard Fheis.
The LBF has come in for criticism, mostly through social media, for accepting a Sinn Fein invitation to attend its party conference in Derry’s Millennium Forum.
In a statement issued today, the group said it wanted to thank those who have forwarded messages of support before and after its presentation at the Ard Fheis on Saturday.
It continued: “We would like to re-iterate that the decision was not taken lightly.
“The direction of the LBF has and always will be based on the consensus of the full membership of the Forum.
“We fully respect the views of all members and recognise that it is within every-ones rights to disagree with our collective decisions if need be.
“On reflection we believe that the decision was the correct one. The performance of the panel on Saturday was excellent and the subsequent press coverage over-overwhelmingly “
“One core aim of the LBF is to challenge myths and misconceptions of what it is to be member of the band community.
“The audience on Saturday provided the biggest opportunity for us to put our message across and face down those who have been our biggest detractors.
“The presentation also provided the opportunity to progress our aim of addressing educational underachievement of young Protestant males.
“Using progressive and ‘smart’ leadership we have already made direct access to government ministers.
“We will continue to fight for the necessary immediate resources to ensure that all band members have access to the training and education they deserve and that the structures are in place at policy level to ensure that young protestants do not remain disadvantaged in the future.
“This of course will continue against the back-drop of continuing to support individual bands in their quest to grow and have the necessary finance to equip their bandsmen, perform and promote our culture.
“We certainly wont make any apology in terms of fighting for finance from public funds.
“Loyalist Bands have been chronically ignored over the decades in terms of grants and painted as a drain on the public purse despite contributing an estimated £15.5m per year to the N.Ireland economy.
“We will continue to fight for equality in terms of funding from cultural and arts bodies.
“The LBF have made much progress over the past few years and will continue to challenge and push boundaries.
“Credit goes to all our members who have shown remarkable leadership.
“Collectively we will strive to continue this progress.”
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