Since last year, the Public Works Department has carried out a total of 60 projects in feast and religious organisations, the government said.

The Public Works Department, as the oldest department within the public service, has always offered its support to all voluntary organisations, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works Omar Farrugia said. For many years, it has worked hand in hand with these organisations and their volunteers to ensure they can offer the best possible service for the common good.

Farrugia, during a visit to the Għaqda tal-Mużika San Gejtanu AD 1906 headquarters emphasised that, "This government's investment is not simply a form of assistance to a parish or a band club, it is an investment in Maltese culture itself."

He went on to explain that the projects carried out have placed the Public Works Department at the very heart of Malta's feasts, with the aim of ensuring a sustainable future for the country's feasts, culture, and historical heritage.

Nigel Vella, President of the Għaqda tal-Mużika San Gejtanu AD 1906, explained that if it were not for the support and work carried out by the Public Works Department, voluntary organisations "like ours, which depend on this assistance, would probably not have been able to undertake these works."

For his part, Lino Bartolo, Assistant Secretary General of the Għaqda Każini tal-Banda, confirmed that thanks to the support being provided to band clubs by the Public Works Department, the Maltese feasts and its heritage can continue to flourish and grow.

In several localities, including Dingli, Żurrieq, Mosta, Paola, Rabat (Malta), Ħamrun, Valletta, and Mqabba, among others, works focused on infrastructure upgrades; in other places, the Department assisted band clubs through essential maintenance works on their buildings; and elsewhere, it supported the restoration of churches and their surrounding areas, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of Malta's cultural and religious landscape.