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Tobacco sponsorship deal sparks new row in the City of Culture

DERRY'S Culture Company has become embroiled in fresh controversy after being criticised by anti-smoking campaigners for accepting sponsorship from the world's biggest tobacco manufacturer.

Composer Shaun Davey's Relief of Derry Symphony will be performed at Ebrington on December 20, marking the conclusion of Derry's year-long UK City of Culture celebrations.

The event's corporate sponsor is Japanese Tobacco International (JTI), manufacturer of Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut and Old Holborn hand-rolling tobacco.

The Culture Company has declined to reveal the value of the sponsorship from the JTI, which took over Gallaher's tobacco in 2007 and has a factory in Ballymena, Co Antrim employing around 1,000 people.

But the cigarette maker's sponsorship of the £26.50-a-head Relief of Derry Symphony has been criticised by anti-smoking campaigners, including Cancer Focus NI.

The charity's head of cancer prevention Gerry McElwee said he was "surprised and very disappointed" by the choice of sponsor for the event.

"The tobacco industry uses cynical marketing methods in an effort to hide the reality behind the lethal product it manufactures, markets and sells," he said.

"Tobacco is a uniquely dangerous product which, when used as intended, kills half of its users."

He said smoking killed 2,300 people in the north every year.

Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson, who is involved in EU efforts to clamp down on the sale of tobacco products, said the Culture Company should have rejected the sponsorship offer.

She said she was "astounded" by the methods employed by JTI and other tobacco producers to get children hooked on their products.

The MEP said tobacco consumption was not the kind of culture Derry should be promoting.

"JTI should absolutely not be associated in anyway in sponsoring any event coming under the City of Culture banner, to do so is permitting an industry which sells death, to piggyback on the back of Derry's success," she said.

"Sponsorship of events by the tobacco industry helps to legitimise and promote their deadly product and should not be accepted."

A Culture Company spokesman said JTI was a "major manufacturer in Northern Ireland" and that its financial support was "part of their corporate philanthropy programme".

The spokesman said the sponsorship reflected tobacco maker Gallaher's strong association with Derry, where it set up a cigarette factory in 1857.

Paul Williams from JTI said the company was proud to support the closing concert.

"Gallaher's partnership with the City of Culture does not promote smoking or tobacco brands -- it's about a local company and its employees supporting the arts," he said.

"Corporate philanthropy is how we describe our choice to contribute to the societies in which we do business, in a way that is meaningful, considered, voluntary, and outside of our commercial operations."