Campaign to save Co Tyrone school scoops top award

A campaign to save a Co Tyrone school has been crowned Best Community Campaign in this year’s Sheila McKechnie Awards. St Mary's Primary School in Fivemiletown had been earmarked for closure but earlier this year parents and pupils were informed that their campaign to save the rural school had been successful.

Celebrating the best campaigns and campaigners across the UK, the Awards recognise those who have achieved social change through civic action.

The winners were crowned at a glittering event in central London on Wednesday night, where the finalists gathered to share stories of campaign successes and recognise their many achievements.

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Reacting to their win, Chair of the Board of Governors Mairaid Kelly said: “This Award is for everyone who supported our campaign to protect our small rural school from closure. To the people of Fivemiletown and beyond, and to the children and their families who protested with us, wrote letters and collected signatures on petitions, please know that this Award is for you all.

"It’s for our local politicians, including Mid Ulster and Fermanagh and Omagh Councils, but in particular Colm Gildernew MLA and Deborah Erskine MLA who worked tirelessly in support of our campaign. We have shown what a truly cross-community campaign can achieve, and how the rights of children in rural areas to access services are every bit as important as those in other places.

"We will do everything we can to continue to uphold those rights, and show the real value and strategic importance of small schools, particularly in rural communities. We are working hard to influence how these decisions are made in future, and are really encouraged by recent engagements we have had with the Education Committee in Stormont, and what we’re hearing from Education Minister Paul Givan who recently rejected a proposal to close Queen Elizabeth II Primary School in Kilskeery.

"We hope this Award gives hope to many others out there who are fighting to protect services that matter to them, and in those difficult times when they doubt whether it will all be worthwhile, please remember that a wee group of parents in Fivemiletown just won a UK-wide award for their campaign, so you can do it too.”

Congratulating them on their success, Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew said: “This is a phenomenal achievement and thoroughly deserved recognition for the campaign to save St Mary’s in Fivemiletown. I was delighted to have spoken in the Assembly about their nomination, recognising the truly cross-community support for that campaign, and to receive the news that they have been crowned winners of the Best Community Campaign was the icing on the cake. I also want to recognise the ongoing efforts of the school to support others in similar circumstances, and I am delighted to continue to work with them to increase the recognition of the value of small rural schools.”

The DUP's Deborah Erskine MLA added: “I am so delighted that the campaign to save St Mary’s has been crowned winner of the Best Community Campaign in the UK-wide SMK Awards.

"That is testament to the incredible outpouring of support from across the Fivemiletown community and beyond to protect our small rural schools, and to see that recognised on this scale is fabulous. I’m delighted to be continuing to work to increase the support and protection for small schools particularly in rural communities, and hope that others take heart from what has been achieved.”

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