💛 WHY AM I DOING THIS?

It’s a fair question. Why would I spend my own money buying 1,000 yellow Friendship Bands and then spend my time travelling around Derry giving them out?

The answer is simple.

Because I want the next generation to have something better than we had.

I grew up in a Derry where your name, your religion, the school you attended and the area you lived in could determine who your friends were supposed to be.

Catholic or Protestant. Them and us.

And here we are, all these years later, still talking about the same divisions.

But here’s what gives me hope.

The young people.

I’ve been handing out these yellow bands, and the response from the kids has been brilliant.

They’re interested in friendship. They want bands for their mates. They don’t need a lecture about politics or religion.

And that’s exactly the point.

I’m not trying to change anyone’s religion, political beliefs or identity.

I’m not asking anyone to forget their history.

I’m simply asking that we don’t pass our divisions on to our children.

The bands have BRING BACK THE GOOD embossed on them, but I’m calling them Friendship Bands because that’s what I want them to represent.

Friendship. Respect. Looking out for one another.

I’ve funded the first 1,000 myself. There’s no political organisation behind this. Just an ordinary Derry man trying to do something positive.

Will a yellow band change the world?

Of course not.

But if it encourages even a few young people to look beyond the labels we’ve grown up with, then I believe it’s worth doing.

💛 FRIENDSHIP HAS NO DIVIDE.

If you believe in what I’m trying to do, please follow the Bring Back The Good Facebook page and share this message.

And if you have children or grandchildren, ask them one simple question:

Does it really matter what religion your best friend is?