First match played at new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
The first Test rugby match to be played at the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, supported by £46 million of Lottery money from the Millennium Commission, will be between Wales and South Africa on Saturday 26th at 5pm. This will be the first game staged at the ground, which is built on the site of the old National Stadium, Cardiff Park Arms, which was demolished to make way for the new 72,000 seater venue. Mike O’Connor, Director of the Millennium Commission said "The Millennium Commission's grant of £46 million of Lottery money in 1996 was only the start of a long hard road which has seen the demolition of an outdated, if much loved, old stadium into a world class venue of which the whole country can be proud. The Rugby World Cup will be just the first of a magnificent series of events, not just sporting ones, for people in Wales and beyond." The Millennium Stadium has a retractable roof and all year weather capacity. It will serve as a venue for a wide range of sporting and non sporting events in Wales, including fifteen days a year of community based initiatives. The new stadium also houses the Rugby Experience museum. The Millennium Commission has allocated £119.2 million to 10 Millennium projects on 59 sites in Wales. Millennium Megalith pulled into place in County Down
Over 1000 young people will come together as part of a weekend of events to celebrate the pulling into place of a giant granite megalith on the shores of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. The Strangford Stone project, supported by Lottery money through a grant of £225,000 from the Millennium Commission, will be pulled into place on Saturday 26th June by young people from a variety of organisations including Girl Guides, Scouts, youth clubs and local school groups. The 12 metre high stone weighs 50 tonnes and has been quarried from the local Mountains of Mourne which the site overlooks. By using the musclepower of 1000 young people to raise a standing stone in the manner of their forefathers, the project will create a lasting testament to the achievement of the youth of Northern Ireland, working together and uniting their skills. Lord Glentoran, Millennium Commissioner, said “Megaliths or standing stones have played their part in uniting communities in common purpose for hundreds of years. I am pleased to see this project come to fruition as it brings together so many young people from all sections of the community in Northern Ireland.” The Millennium Commission has awarded £79.7 million to 19 projects on 132 sites in Northern Ireland.
Millennium Commission 25-Jun-1999
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