I’ve raised thousands of pounds for charity and helped bring communities together before. Now I want to do something positive for my own home city, Derry.

Some of you will know me as The Wee Derry Prod on TikTok, others through my bestselling book The Real Life of Brian, and some might even remember me from my Irish League Forums days.

Over 20 years ago, I founded Irish League Forums, which grew into a community of around 70,000 football supporters.

Through the forums, we organised charity football tournaments across Northern Ireland, bringing together supporters from clubs including Linfield, Cliftonville and Glentoran.

We raised thousands of pounds for good causes, including supporting the IFA Down syndrome football team.

But for me, the greatest achievement wasn’t the money.

It was the friendships.

People from different communities, who might never otherwise have spoken, became friends. Some of those friendships lasted for years, and believe it or not, some even ended in weddings!

In 2006, I was honoured to receive an IFA Community Award, presented by Neil Lennon and Colin Murray, recognising my contribution to bringing football supporters together.

So why am I doing this again, 20 years later?

Because Derry is my home.

I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve watched our city come such a long way, particularly since our year as UK City of Culture in 2013.

I’ve seen so many positive changes. People mixing more freely, friendships forming across communities and people feeling increasingly comfortable going into parts of their own city they might once have avoided.

We’ve come a long way, and I think we should be proud of that.

But I also believe there’s more we can do, particularly for the next generation.

I don’t want our young people growing up carrying the divisions of the past. I want them making friends, having fun and seeing each other as people, not Catholics or Protestants.

That’s why I’ve personally funded our first 1,000 yellow Friendship Bands.

A simple wee yellow band with a simple message. Friendship has no divide.

I’ve been out distributing them myself, and seeing the smiles on young people’s faces has made every penny worthwhile.

But I don’t want this to stop at 1,000 bands.

I’d love to get more into circulation, involve local businesses and schools, and eventually organise cross-community games and activities where young people can meet, have fun and form lasting friendships.

I’ve helped make that happen before through football, and I genuinely believe we can do it again here in Derry.

And this is where I could really use a wee bit of help.

I’ve funded everything myself so far, but if we’re going to grow, I’ll need some support.

If you can spare £1, £2 or whatever you feel comfortable donating, every contribution will help us fund more Friendship Bands and hopefully develop future community activities.

💛 YOU CAN DONATE SECURELY THROUGH PAYPAL HERE:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EKDCLT2RZFD3Y

We’re also planning a supporters’ section on our official Bring Back The Good website, where businesses, organisations and individuals who wish to be recognised can receive a public thank-you.

And please don’t feel you have to donate.

Sharing this post, offering to distribute bands through your business or simply helping us spread the word means just as much.

I’m not trying to change the world with a yellow band. I’m just trying to do my wee bit for a city I love.

I’ve seen firsthand what can happen when people from different backgrounds are brought together.

Friendships happen. Barriers disappear. And sometimes those friendships last a lifetime.

Derry has come too far to stop moving forward.

Let’s keep building on the good things happening in our city and give the next generation even more reasons to be proud of where they come from.

💛 One yellow band. One community. No divide.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. I genuinely believe we can make something special happen in Derry.@highlight. Sinead McLaughlin MLA Pat RamseyDerry JournalDerry City Bus ToursDerry City Football ClubInner City Assistance TeamInstitute FC Supporters’ Club