AS BALLYMENA launches a third bid for city status, a debate has broken out on whether the title should be given to Enniskillen instead.
Last week Mid and East Antrim officially nominated Ballymena for city status, as part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours competition. The successful applicant to the competition, which is open to towns anywhere in the UK as part of plans mark the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth coming to the throne, will also gain a new Lord Mayor title for its first citizen.
Towns applying to the competition must demonstrate certain criteria, including a “distinct identity,” civic pride, heritage, history and tradition – many of the elements of Enniskillen recently highlighted by the Irish Times in its search for the best towns to live in.
When news broke online of the Ballymena application, with the Antrim town having been declined the status upgrade twice in the past already, a debate emerged on which town in the North was worthy of being bumped up to a city.
Amid the debate among social media users from right across the North, a consensus emerged which suggested it should be Enniskillen applying for the status instead.
Here at the Herald we decided to start our own social media debate on the issue, and the results were surprising. Here in Fermanagh, the consensus was Enniskillen should remain the town we love so well.
To read more on this story see this week’s Fermanagh Herald. Can’t get to the shop to collect your copy? No problem! You can download a copy straight to your device by following this link https://bit.ly/3gOl8G0
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