Ulster Unionist MLA Robin Swann has welcomed the news that the Orange Order is to receive almost £4 million of funding from the EU, the Stormont Executive and the Dublin Government to develop two interpretive centres as part of an outreach project.
The North Antrim representative who sits on the Stormont Culture, Arts & Leisure committee said:
“I am confident that this funding will be put to very good use by the Orange Institution as it establishes two educational and resource centres in Belfast and Armagh which will promote and encourage understanding, tolerance and mutual respect.
The Orange Order is a major cultural influence within our society with a rich heritage and a story to tell. These new centres at Schomberg House in Belfast and Sloan’s House near Loughgall will be ideally placed to recount the development of the Orange Institution, its traditions and its place in wider society.
I am confident that this initiative will prove to be a great asset not just to the local community but in terms of historical and cultural tourism and I wish it every success.”