Two residents of the Causeway Coast area have been chosen to take part in a fellowship programme aimed at building leadership and cross-community ties.

Phil Carson, from Ballycastle, and Ciarán McQuillan, from Dunloy, are among 28 people selected for the Centre for Democracy and Peace Fellowship Programme. The initiative brings together individuals from politics, business, the public sector and voluntary groups.

Carson is the Policy Director of the SDLP. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, he previously worked for the RSPB and the Nature Friendly Farming Network, focusing on post-Brexit agricultural policy.

McQuillan is a Sinn Féin councillor on the Causeway Coast and Glens Council, representing the Ballymoney district electoral area. He is involved in his local community and plays senior hurling and football for Cuchullains Dunloy GAA. He has also chaired the PEACEPLUS Partnership Board and remains an active board member.

The new cohort includes representatives from five political parties and a range of professional backgrounds, reflecting what the centre describes as the diversity and ambition shaping Northern Ireland’s future.

Over the next seven months, the fellows will take part in a programme designed to encourage dialogue and collaboration. They will challenge assumptions, share ideas and build relationships across political and community divides.

The fellowship is the flagship programme of the Centre for Democracy and Peace. The centre, which draws on the lessons of Northern Ireland’s peace process, works to support conflict resolution, uphold human rights and foster reconciliation.