There is a public demand for integrated education – I think the best way is to create a single system

10 April 2024

A STRANGFORD MLA has said that now is the time for “monumental change” at Stormont.

In the May 2022 Assembly election, the Alliance Party’s Kellie Armstrong topped the poll in the Strangford constituency and was elected on the first count with over 7,000 votes.

In an exclusive interview with the Down Recorder, Mrs Armstrong spoke about her time growing up, her career, why she became involved in politics and her hopes to see improved links between the Ards Peninsula and the rest of the constituency.

She grew up in a Housing Executive house in Ballygalget – “in the middle of nowhere” is how she described it – with her parents, brother and sister.

“We had plenty to occupy ourselves and I loved it – it was a very happy childhood,” she recalls.

She attended the local St Patrick’s Primary School, and later Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch where she “thrived”.

“Academia always suited me,” she said. “Assumption is a fantastic school full of great and engaging teachers. They always encouraged us to be free-thinkers and to work as hard as we could, so we would fulfil our potential.”

Having studied History and Appreciation of Art, Geography and English at A-Level, she was accepted at Queen’s University Belfast where she obtained a 2-1 degree in Byzantine Studies.

“It was a very unique course that focused on history, particularly the Roman Empire, architecture and the beginning of the Christian Church,” Mrs Armstrong explained.

“Like many people I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do after university. I considered a Masters but having already studied for four years, I felt like I had enough and wanted to move on from being a student.”

She came across a postgraduate course, which trained people to hone their skills in marketing and sales. From there, she employed her marketing abilities in several jobs across different sectors.

“After my postgraduate programme I fundraised for Chest, Heart and Stroke Northern Ireland for about six months before going to GCAS Advertising as a media buyer for two years.

“I got a great job at Downtown Radio, working in telesales and later in area sales. At the time, Downtown was the only independent radio station in Northern Ireland and I met lots of great people working at the organisation.

“I worked there for a few years before being headhunted by Anderson Spratt and worked as a project manager in their client services department.”

Having worked at Anderson Spratt between 1999 to 2001, an opportunity presented itself to become the manager of Peninsula Community Transport, a local charity which later amalgamated with Down Community Transport in Downpatrick.

“Peninsula Community Transport were looking for someone with a marketing background to bolster the charity,” Mrs Armstrong explained.

“It was a service that was adored by rural people. To get about the peninsula you either had to drive or use public transport, but the community transport enabled people to get their necessities without worrying about how they would get home.

“It was a great charity, but they were in the process of giving it a good shake. When I joined the charity only had 35% usage, but we managed to get it up to 100%.

“I was there for five years before becoming support and development officer for the Community Transport Association – 18 months later I became director.

“My role included delivering transport solutions for older people and people with disabilities through community-led initiatives.”

Mrs Armstrong spent 16 years in community transport, but in 2009 became an active member of the Alliance Party.

Mrs Armstrong said she never intended becoming a politician, but during her time with Community Transport, Ards Council were planning to remove local community playgrounds around the Ards Peninsula.

“I wasn’t going to have it. The community playgrounds were vital for children to have somewhere to play and socialise with others. It’s such a rural area and it would have taken away children’s only opportunity to play.”

After attending several meetings with different political organisations, Mrs Armstrong felt that the Alliance Party was the only one which appreciated the ramifications of the issue.

“I went to a meeting with members from Alliance and I felt very comfortable and that I was listened to,” Mrs Armstrong recalled.

“I have always been a liberal person. My husband and I come from different religions and I was really encouraged to go into a room where people just focused on the day-to-day issues rather than fixate about what religion you were.

“There were people from all different types of communities who were interested in other cultures and I felt right at home.”

Mrs Armstrong held various positions in the party, including secretary and chair of the Strangford branch and a member of the party executive that oversees election activities.

After much convincing, Mrs Armstrong was encouraged to stand for Ards Borough Council in 2011 by former party leader David Ford.

While she was unsuccessful, she was co-opted on to the council six months later when party colleague Kieran McCarthy stepped down.

Re-elected

In 2014, she was re-elected to the council and in 2016 was selected to run as a MLA for the Strangford constituency.

“It was a very busy time,” she recalled. “When I was running as an MLA, I left Community Transport because it is a charity I had utmost respect for and I didn’t want it to be associated with any political party. I also wanted to dedicate myself to the campaign and although it was a risk, it thankfully paid off.”

Since entering the Assembly, Mrs Armstrong has been a strong advocate of integrated education and is in the middle of taking forward her private member’s bill to legislate for better protection and promotion of integrated education across Northern Ireland.

She has also brought forward a motion calling on the Assembly to end use of designations and mandatory coalition.

“Integrated education is something I am very passionate about. A recent survey which was carried out for the Assembly found that 69% of parents preferred integrated education, but only 7% of our children are being educated in integrated schools.

“I went through the Catholic education system and I do not begrudge it whatsoever, but other people are looking for alternatives.

“My daughter has come through integrated education and she’s had a fantastic experience. She’s been able to make all her religious sacraments, but it means more than that. Integrated education means people can see themselves reflected in the educational curriculum.

“There’s clearly a public demand for integrated education – I think the best way is to create a single education system and this is something I will be lobbying the new education minister to consider.”

Locally, Mrs Armstrong is seeking to have better links between the Ards Peninsula and the rest of the county, particularly concerning the ferry crossing from Portaferry to Strangford.

“The ferry is a vital service, but the Department for Infrastructure have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to the ferry,” she said

“The ferry is essential for our tourism industry and I think that the DfI failed to consider that when they increased the fares which are extortionate.

“The fares are a hindrance for a lot of people, especially in Portaferry who would like to do their grocery shopping in Downpatrick, but can’t because it’s too expensive to travel – it leaves them isolated.

“We need to look at how that ferry is operated. The boat is a key service for people going to school or to their nearest hospital and I would like to see the DfI come up with more routine times.

“There has been talks of a bridge but I don’t think it is viable. I do want to see more links between the towns and villages that are divided by the water.”

She added: “The people are fantastic and extremely friendly. Like myself, I’m sure a lot of them feel just as comfortable in Killyleagh as they do in Kircubbin.”

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