The SDLP leader and joint winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, Mr John Hume, has announced he will use the prize money to set up a charitable trust. The income from £250,000 of the award will be shared between the Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul. The remaining £26,000 is to be divided equally between a fund for the Omagh bomb victims and a victims' memorial trust. The Hume Charitable Trust will be administered by his wife, Pat. Making his announcement in Belfast yesterday, Mr Hume said: "In my Nobel Peace Prize address I stated that I wanted to see an Ireland of partnership where we wage war on want and poverty and where we reach out to the marginalised and dispossessed." Maj George Pilkington of the Salvation Army said: "This kind and unselfish act reflects the compassion and love that John Hume has for his community."
Mr Colm McNicholl of St Vincent de Paul described Mr Hume as "one of the greatest human beings of the century". Mr David Trimble, joint Nobel laureate with Mr Hume, commended Mr Hume's announcement and said he had not made a final decision on how to use his own award.