BCCN/ NCN…. remembering John Hume with fondness, awe and appreciation
It is with sadness yes, but also with great fondness, awe and appreciation that NCN, formerly the Border Counties Childcare Network, remembers John Hume on the day that his death has been announced. What an inspirational man, who has left a lasting positive legacy on the island of Ireland. Inspired, as an MEP, by the way former warring European countries could work together through the European Union, he used his observations and learning as the basis upon which he worked to secure EU funding to support the peace process and the provision of the first Peace and Reconciliation Programme for Northern Ireland and the Southern Border Counties. Many communities have since benefitted from his visionary thinking and commitment, not least those communities who accessed EU support and funding for the development of early childhood and after school services, both in Northern Ireland and the Border Region. Many services for children and families that exist today, in both regions, do so thanks to the EU support secured by John Hume. The development of BCCN/NCN in 1997, a quality support agency for the Early Childhood and School Age sector, which still exists today, was first made possible through John Hume’s work and his understanding of the benefits of such services for children, families, communities and the future of Northern Ireland. Many have continued to walk in his footsteps.
Sincere sympathy to his wife Pat and family. May he rest in peace.
