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Celebrating 50 years of
‘giving local people a sporting chance’
2025 marks a very special year for the Mary Peters Trust as we celebrate our 50th anniversary and what a joyous journey it has been.
In this signature MPT 50 section we feature some of our athletes past and present and look back at how the Trust got off the starting blocks.
“I’m so proud,”
says Lady Mary Peters:
“After the Munich Olympics in 1972, I was determined to help young athletes coming after me to benefit from quality training facilities and to have the financial backing to nurture their talents and drive forward to success.
“Alongside the Mary Peters Track we set up a Trust with the strapline of ‘giving local people a sporting chance’ and I’m thrilled that half a century later it’s stronger than ever and we are helping even more athletes to realise their sporting dreams.
“Our success has been focussed on helping young athletes at the very start of their journey and before they become household names, enabling them to get to next level funding and training programmes.
“It’s such a wonderful feeling seeing athletes step up onto Commonwealth, World and Olympic podiums often many years after we first funded them and as a Trust, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our young sports people.
Launch at City Hall
Belfast City Hall event marked start of 50th anniversary year:
Lady Mary and her Trust delivered one big thank-you to athletes, sponsors, supporters, and local people at a special event held at Belfast City Hall in March 2025 to mark its 50th year.
UTV Sports journalist and presenter Ruth Gorman was MC welcoming VIPs and guests and interviewed young Mary Peters Trust athletes, cyclist Luca Murray and badminton ace Paige Woods.
“It’s been an honour and a privilege to have so many athletes and their families, our sponsors and partners, local media representatives, sporting organisations and regional councils joining us to celebrate this milestone. I would especially like to thank Belfast City Council as hosts and for the honour of lighting up our iconic City Hall in the Trust colours of blue and gold.”
Gold Medal Mary
The amazing Belfast based Rainbow Factory School of Performing Arts staged an original play with music based on Mary’s life to celebrate the Trust’s 50th Birthday.
Written and directed by Rainbow Factory’s fabulous artistic director Maire Campbell and involving young people from Youth Action NI, the play received standing ovations.
There was joy, laughter and a few tears of emotion as the play took the audience on a theatrical journey and artistic representation of the early years of Mary’s life culminating in her Olympic Gold at Munich in 1972.
Athlete Features
Fiona Haldane (Fencing)
Life enhancing and life-changing – that’s what sport is Long-time fencer Fiona Haldane and a Mary Peters Trust athlete back in 1985 talks about her sport […]
Michael McKillop (Running)
‘All I ever wanted to do was run and I’ve lived out a dream’ Now Michael McKillop is giving back to sport by encouraging more young […]
Madeline Perry (Squash)
Madeline is still acing it as coach and mentor Squash is going through a resurgence in Ireland – north and south – and it’s the girls […]
Eugene Magee (Hockey)
‘Sport teaches you professionalism and discipline’ says hockey Olympian Eugene Magee Ireland men’s hockey record cap holder, Eugene Magee, laughs as he recalls the first time […]