22/07/2014

Tall Ships Return

The Tall Ships event is to return to Belfast, following the city's hosting of the race in 1991 and 2009.

Belfast Tall Ships 2015 is to be sponsored this year by Lidl Northern Ireland in a deal worth £300,000.

The Tall Ships Races are organised by Sail Training International. Belfast will be the start port for the 2015 race, which will see ships from across the world moor in Belfast Harbour for four days before setting sail for the Scandinavian cities of Ålesund, Kristiansand and Aalborg.

Next year will mark the third time the city has hosted The Tall Ships Races, with the first back in 1991 and the most recent in 2009.

It is thought that the 2009 event attracted some 500,000 visitors and £16m to the local economy.

Belfast Lord Mayor Nichola Mallon said: "I’m absolutely delighted to see Lidl getting behind the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival which will welcome The Tall Ships Races 2015 to the biggest event ever staged in the city. Lidl are not only a committed Belfast employer, they also provide very welcome support for a range of cultural and sporting initiatives in and around Belfast. Their Host Port sponsorship is further testament to their engagement with communities and shows true business leadership."

Chair of Belfast Tall Ships 2015, Dr Gerard O’Hare said: "The Belfast leg of The Tall Ships Race is a massive undertaking for the city and Belfast Harbour, as the event will see an estimated 500,000 descend on Belfast’s historic port. Lidl’s sponsorship is a testimony to the work of Belfast City Council and Belfast Harbour, along with its partners in the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Department for Social Development and many other key organisations such as Titanic Quarter and the Odyssey Trust."

(IT/CD)

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