Dochdu Kult & Ko association wins Bocholt Homeland Prize

The Bocholt association Dochdu Kult & Ko has won the Heimatpreis of the city of Bocholt, which is endowed with 5000 euros. On Saturday evening, Bocholt's deputy mayor Elisabeth Kroesen presented the certificate at a Christmas party of the association in Barlo.

The members of the Dochdu Kult & Ko association had not expected this: On Saturday evening, it suddenly became quiet in the festival hall Wissing-Flinzenberg in Barlo - actually, the X-mas party of the Dochdu association should have just started.

But then there was loud applause when Bocholt's deputy mayor Elisabeth Kroesen announced the verdict of the Heimatpreis jury: the Heimatpreis 2022 goes to the Dochdu Kult und Ko association.

Since 2019, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been supporting associations and initiatives that are particularly committed to the theme of "Heimat". For this purpose, the counties and also the cities belonging to the counties are provided with a funding amount for the award of a homeland prize, which they can then use according to local criteria. In 2022, Bocholt successfully applied for this funding for the fourth time in succession and received 5,000 euros for it.

A jury consisting of representatives of the city of Bocholt and the Bocholt council factions, as well as two other advisory members, awarded the prize to the Dochdu Kult & Ko. e.V. association at its meeting in November. Mayor Thomas Kerkhoff thanked all applicants and congratulated the winner already in writing.

Remarkable applications

Once again, several associations and initiatives had applied for the Heimatpreis 2022. "That made it quite difficult for the jury," says Rainer Howestädt, advisory member as head of the volunteer agency and host of the jury meeting, "because each application had something very special. The jury found many positive aspects for each project, each of which spoke for the project. Thus then also very long and intensively one discussed. In the end, the decision was unanimous."

New concept of home

"With the promotion of musical-cultural diversity in Bocholt through inventiveness, new approaches and the development of new spaces, the concept of home is lived anew for a new generation and iconic tradition is carried forward in an innovative way," reads the jury's statement.

Presentation as a surprise

Since the association had several events in the weeks after the meeting of the jury in the program, the jury decided without further ado to present the price in the context of these events as surprise for the association members.

About the Heimatpreis

The Heimatpreis is a project sponsored by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Building and Equality of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim of the program is to inspire people for local and regional characteristics, to preserve homeland and at the same time to shape it for the future. The Homeland Award of the state of NRW therefore primarily honors honorary commitment and innovative projects in the area of homeland that are worthy of imitation. The Heimatpreis will be awarded annually from 2019 to 2022 by the state of NRW and also by the districts and the cities belonging to the districts, provided they apply to the state for this.

The previous winners:

• 2019 Dorfgemeinschaft Mussum e.V. (homeland award of the city of Bocholt).
• 2019 Heimatverein Suderwick e.V. and the Dinxperwick citizens' initiative (Heimatpreis of the state of NRW)
• 2020: Pro Barlo e.V. (homeland award of the district of Borken)
• 2020: Bürgerverein Biemenhorst e.V. (local history award of the city of Bocholt)
• 2021: Förderkreis Bocholter Handwerksmuseum e.V. (sponsoring group for Bocholt craft museum)
• 2022: Dochdu Kult & Ko. e.V.