The Mayor Councillor Elisha McCallion, wearing the new fob for the Mayor’s chain of office at Faller’s the jewellers, pictured with staff, goldsmiths Ann Marie Kelly, Kimberley Duffy and Una Carlin, who were involved in the creation and making of the fob.
MAYOR of Derry City and Strabane District Councillor Elisha McCallion got a first glimpse today of the completed fob for the Mayoral Chain, which was getting a final polish at Faller’s Jewellers.
The new hand painted design, commissioned following the amalgamation of the two council bodies in April, incorporates symbols from across the Derry and Strabane areas and Mayor McCallion said she was delighted at the finished result.
“The new fob reflects the entire Council area bringing together a number of significant landscapes and aspects of the district which will be recognisable to everyone,” she said.
“It’s fantastic to finally see the finished piece as it represents the cohesion that has already been achieved between the two former council areas.
“I would like to thank Una and the Faller’s team for their patience and skill in producing the design, and I look forward to wearing it throughout the rest of my term in office on behalf of all citizens across Derry and Strabane.”
Goldsmith Una Carlin was the designer who came up with the final piece which will now form part of the official Mayoral chain worn by the Mayor at civic events.
She said that it had been quite a challenge bringing together the various elements of the project, but an enjoyable one.
“Obviously we were delighted to be successful in the procurement process to produce the new fob, as it will now become part of the city’s civic history. It was quite a challenge as we had a complete blank canvas.
“We were tasked with incorporating the various symbols representing the entire district, so the design phase took almost as long as the actual making of the piece.
“The fob includes three images from Derry and three from Strabane, including historic symbols and architectural icons such as the City Walls from Derry and the Tinnies ‘Let the Dance Begin’ sculptures from Strabane.
“We’ve also included the rivers which flow through the council area, and the salmon which represents the fisheries industry and recreation in the district as well as the oak representing the origins of the name of City.
“The final image is made up of three layers of enamel which adds to the richness of the piece. The first layer is the blue of the water and the sky, which is overlaid with the green of the fields and the various motifs.
“The piece was an extremely interesting one to develop, it’s not something that we would usually produce so I’ve really enjoyed it and I hope that it will now be well received by the public.”
The new fob was commissioned following the amalgamation of Derry City Council and Strabane District Council back in April 2015. Following the handover today the Mayor will now wear the complete chain at all forthcoming official events.
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