Former Mayor, Councillor Thomas Beckett, presents a cheque to the value of £81,000 to Dame Mary Peters CH DBE for the Mary Peters Trust. Also pictured are Freeman of the City, Ivan Davies OBE; Mrs Gillian Hetherington, Mary Peters Trust; Mr Jim Rose, Director of Leisure Services; Mrs Linda Beckett and Mr Pat Catney, MLA.

Former Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Thomas Beckett recently presented a cheque totalling £81,000 to The Mary Peters Trust, which was his chosen charity during his term in office.

Speaking about the final amount, Councillor Beckett said: “Over the years the Council has had a strong affiliation with Dame Mary Peters CH DBE and it was a great honour to fundraise for the Trust in her name. Dame Mary has made an outstanding contribution to sport, civic and community life in Lisburn and throughout Northern Ireland and The Mary Peters Trust works along many sporting organisations providing valuable support to young, gifted athletes. It is very rewarding to be able to give something back to the Trust for all the work they do. The final amount raised has surpassed my expectations and it will certainly be put to good use.”

Dame Mary Peters was delighted that the Mary Peters Trust was chosen as the official charity for Councillor Beckett’s Mayoral Term. Speaking at the cheque handover she said: “I would like to thank Councillor Beckett and everyone who contributed to this remarkable amount raised. This will mean so much to the work of the Trust helping support athletes of all abilities reach their full potential. We will continue to work with aspiring young people aiming to make a difference to their lives.”

Councillor Beckett concluded: “I would like to personally thank everyone who supported The Mary Peters Trust fundraising. From bag packing to golf days, quizzes to the Mayor’s parade, the community supported every event and the total kept rising. I am so proud to handover such a substantial amount of money and I wish Dame Mary and The Mary Peters Trust continued success in their vision of supporting our future sporting greats.”