Aghalee Village Hall New Summer 2013

ISSUE 13 • JULY 2013

Summer is here and it’s time for another…

Village Hall BBQ! Saturday 24 Aug. 6pm until late.

Food, Music and Dancing for all ages.

Saturday 24th August is the date for this year's annual family event. The fun will begin at 6pm with a bouncy castle and inflatable obstacle course in the car park while, in the main hall, there will be a magic show and face painting.

As always there will be a barbecue and the evening will be rounded off with dancing to the ever popular Caledonian.

Tickets are £9 per adult (over 16), £4 per child (under 16), Under 5s free, Family ticket £25 (2 adults and 3 children under 16). We look forward to seeing you there! The Village Hall is not licensed for the sale of alcohol but please feel free to bring your own. For insurance purposes, children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Don't miss this fantastic evening of fun and entertainment.

80 YEARS! We are hoping to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Aghalee Village Hall with a special event later in the year. See page 2 & 3.

For details keep an eye on our notice board and our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ aghaleevillagehall).

Mace Magic!

The new look shop was officially opened on Friday 28th June amid great festivities, including a visit from Mr Tayto, face painting and a hog roast for everyone to enjoy. The weather was fantastic and people came out in large numbers to enjoy the party.

See page 4.

rt rpo 0 l Ai 0 iona for £2 n t a tern ittee licatio r. n I m st ub te elfa le Com the p ewslet oB s b ks t harita oward f the n n a C o Th dt eive rec

Aghalee Village Hall News - Summer 2013

Annual General Meeting

The Aghalee Village Hall AGM took place in the Paul Green Hall on Tuesday 18th June. There was a great turnout of existing committee members and people from the community. Chairman David Twigg gave his report, in which he stressed the need for more committee members and volunteers in order for the Village Hall to continue to provide this invaluable service to Aghalee and the surrounding area. Great work has been carried out in the last year, including the complete refurbishment of the upstairs room, which is currently being used by the Book Club for their monthly meetings. The Taekwondo Club continues it’s success and many other clubs such as Junior and Senior Badminton, Junior Soccer, Dog Training, Book Club and Ballet will all continue to run in the coming year. Funding for courses such as IT, Art & Craft, Upholstery and Photography has been applied for and, whilst not yet secured, it is hoped that this will be in place soon.

The Treasurer’s Report showed the accounts to be in a healthy state, though there are expensive jobs to be carried out this year such as the installation of a new boiler and some work on the drainage in the car park.

Local Councillor Thomas Beckett spoke about the great work being carried out by the committee and their commitment in keeping the hall going and providing numerous activities for the local community. He also congratulated the committee on being so successful and carrying on it’s valuable service for 80 years ‘I wish the committee every success for the incoming year. I know the committee are all volunteers who give up a lot of their time to organise events such as the Christmas Tree switch on and Annual Family Event. I was not aware that the village hall committee had been formed over 80 years ago and am pleased to hear that the committee plan on celebrating this achievement later in the year. I and the Leisure Services Department of the Council will continue to support you’.

All the offices on the committee were vacated and nominations were taken for committee members. We were delighted to have seven new people nominated (unfortunately, one was subsequently unable to take up a place on the committee) and this will make a huge difference in the coming year with each new member bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm to our monthly meetings. At the first meeting on July 10th, the following people were elected:

Office Bearers Chairman: David Twigg Vice Chairman: Matt Hull Secretary: Clare Ward Treasurer: Chris Buller Booking Secretary: Gillian Best

Committee Members Margaret Agnew Kenneth Greer Stephen Black Fernando Gutierrez Pauline Buller Christine Lynn Jeanne Cree Danny Johnson Catherine Gleave Fiona Maree Anna Greer Eithne McConihay

CELEBRA AGHALEE

The story of Aghalee Village Hall begins on April 6th 1932 when the inaugural meeting was held and a decision made to build a village hall. The site known as “The wee meadow” was donated by Mrs FD McKeown and Mr David Mairs donated £100 to start the building appeal.

The Ladies Committee held their first meeting on June 18th and it was at this point that the committee began its long association with the Carnegie Trust who promised a grant of one sixth of the total cost and an interest free loan of one third of the cost to be repaid over five years. A condition of the Carnegie Trust loan was that the hall should not be used for any political or religious purposes.

Building commenced on April 23rd 1933 and the hall was opened on September 24th by Sir Crawford McCullough, the Lord Mayor of Belfast who had grown up in Aghalee but had left the village 52 years earlier. The building cost £16,000. The constitution of the hall was to meet the needs of the local community and benefit the inhabitants of the Parish of Aghalee and the neighbourhood without distinction of sex, or political, religious or other opinions.

The hall was constructed with a steel open plan roof especially to avoid obstacles when paying badminton and with a sprung floor to avoid any undue stress to the players.

Once opened, the hall took on a number of functions; as a badminton club, a branch of the Carnegie Library and a folk dancing club. During the next years, dances were held regularly and Moira YFC started a second badminton club. The Old Crocks dance donated a piano to the hall.

Fundraising continued at a pace and a charge of £3 per night was raised against all users until the debt had been repaid. Records are scant as to the usage of the hall during the Second World War but we do know that dances continued to be a regular feature of the hall and were

Barbara McKee June Newell Carol Redpath Walter Robertson Norman Scandrett

Newsletter Designed and produced by RuskDesign.com.

Photography by Fiona Maree and Clare Ward.

ATING 80 YEARS! VILLAGE HALL 1933-2013 attended by Allied and American servicemen. After the Belfast blitz, up to 250 people temporarily lived in the hall pending more suitable accommodation. The hall was also used by the local Home Guard and the Royal Artillery.

After the war, funding was tight and builders had many other priorities but the hall remained open for local functions. In the mid 1950s a fundraising campaign was launched to render the exterior walls of the hall, to install central heating and to connect the hall to the water mains. Sales and gymkhanas continued on a regular basis until 1969. Ballinderry Badminton Club came to the hall in 1973 and Aghalee Badminton Club was restarted in 1977 while Aghalee Bowling Club had met in the hall since 1960. However a major face lift was required in 1985 to bring the hall in line with safety standards and to provide new kitchen and toilet facilities. The cost of this work was £81,753, which was funded chiefly by Lisburn Borough Council and the Department of Education. The Trustees contributed £8,175 with the hire cost being increased to £5 per night! From 1986 until 1998 the hall flourished and was widely used. Tiny Tots, a community play group, opened in the hall while various Keep Fit tutors came and went. The two badminton Clubs flourished but unfortunately the Bowls Club ceased.

However, in the early 1990s more space was required and a fire escape was planned so that the upstairs could be utilised. All of this was going to cost £96,000 and this was sought from a variety of different funding organizations.

The Paul Green Hall was built alongside the original hall and became an integral part of it.

facility for the benefit of the whole community regardless of age, gender, race, religion or political persuasion. During the past two years we have been incredibly grateful to the very many different agencies who have granted us over £37,000 to enable us to keep the hall a safe and secure environment for all the users to enjoy. The Committee now runs two major events each year – the Summer event comprising children’s entertainment, a barbecue and dancing to live music while the other event is the lighting of the Christmas Tree and visit by Santa. Current users include the Junior & Senior Badminton Clubs, Wag and Bone Dog Training classes, Jeanne Cree Ballet classes, Age NI, Book Club, Junior Taekwondo classes and Junior Football. In addition to these activities during the past year we have run courses in Art & Craft, Upholstery, Digital Photography and Basic Computer Skills.

We are hoping to celebrate our 80th Anniversary with a special event later in the year – keep an eye on our notice board and our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ aghaleevillagehall) for details.

We look forward to a long and prosperous future for Aghalee Village Hall and this can be achieved with the help of our local community. If you have a few hours to spare to help in any way, whether it’s helping to organise an event, newsletter or leaflet distribution or helping out with odd jobs around the hall, please give us a shout – we’d love to hear from you!

Ulster Star

Funding Update.

In 2005, Aghalee Village Hall was one of only two organizations in Northern Ireland to be awarded the prestigious “Queens Award for Voluntary Service” which was an acknowledgement of the countless hours of voluntary and unpaid service to the local community since 1933. The award was made by the Lord Lieutenant for County Antrim at a special event that included as many former committee members as possible.

The current Management Committee is very aware of the hard graft of their predecessors and are making every effort to abide by the original charter of providing a

£200 received from Belfast International Airport Charitable Committee towards the publication of the newsletter. Applications made for funding for the following: 1.Replacement boiler and zoning, replacement single glazed windows, new chairs for main hall and noticeboards.

2.Courses for 2013/4 - Upholstery, Digital Photography, IT and social media and Art and Craft

3.Equipment and costs towards attending competitions and gradings for Taekwondo 4.Publication of Newsletter 5.Trips for AgeNI.

Aghalee Village Hall News - Summer 2013

Amazing Mace!

Age NI

Hello again from all at the Age NI social group which meets at Aghalee Village Hall every Wednesday.

It’s a year since our last report and we all feel that the year has passed so quickly; it’s hard to believe summer is here and the sun is shining.

John Mairs cuts the ribbon to open the new Mace in Aghaleee.

Links between Aghalee Village Hall and the local shop go back to a time before the present shop existed! In fact it was David Mairs, John Mairs’ Grandfather and Elaine’s Great Grandfather, who was part of the original committee that was responsible for the building and formation of the hall. John’s father, JT was a Trustee of the Village Hall and was a committee member during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

In May 1982 John Mairs and his wife Alice, who owned a shop in Nutts Corner, bought a site in Aghalee and built a shop – this shop was first a Spar. The shop saw several improvements and changes over the years but the constant was John and three members of staff, Annette McStraw, Michael O’Hagan and Geraldine Mulholland, who have all worked there for over 20 years.

The biggest change came about 7 years ago when John’s daughter Elaine and her husband, Alan Collingwood, took over the running of the shop and at this point it became Mace. Further improvements followed but earlier this year saw major work beginning on site and there was an air of anticipation as customers saw changes being made on a daily basis.

The petrol forecourt got a facelift, the store room was extended, the shop doubled in size, the Post Office temporarily disappeared and the front door was blocked up! But it was all in the name of improvement – what has resulted is a bright, spacious, well laid out shop, Post Office and Off Licence. The new look shop was officially opened on Friday 28th June amid great festivities, including a visit from Mr Tayto, face painting and a hog roast for everyone to enjoy.

The weather was fantastic and people came out in large numbers to enjoy the party.

Despite the many changes that have occurred over the years, the shop itself remains constant and you will always see friendly, familiar faces when you call in for your petrol, paper or weekly shop.

All at Aghalee Village Hall would like to congratulate Elaine and Alan and wish them continued success, and we look forward to many more years of links between the Village Hall and the Village Shop.

During the past year we have had a varied programme of activities including a visit to Hillsborough Castle to view an exhibition of the Queens gowns, followed by a picnic; shopping trips and visits to various garden centres with restaurant facilities including McKee’s Farm Shop and Restaurant in Holywood. Tesco has provided taste days and advice on nutrition; we have enjoyed a gardening demonstration by Christine Lynn of Down to Earth Landscaping, and also a variety of activities in the hall itself.

Many thanks from the service users and staff at Age NI for the outings that have been funded by an award from the John Moores Foundation made on behalf of AgeNI by Aghalee Village Hall - our latest outing was to Annalong Harbour Bar, which included a beautiful scenic drive and a delicious meal, was enjoyed by all. This funding award, applied for by Aghalee Village Hall has provided coach trips for our service users throughout the year.

Anyone who would be interested in joining us at Aghalee Village Hall on a Wednesday, please contact manager June Newell on Wednesdays 028 9265 2150, 9am – 4.30pm.

We are also interested in hearing from anyone who would like to come along as a volunteer to help out at our Wednesday sessions – particularly if you have a skill, such as needlecraft, knitting, art etc, which you would like to share. Even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. We are also interested in receiving donations of unwanted wool for some of our projects.

For updates and news follow Aghalee Village Hall on Facebook

Annette, John, Alan, Geraldine and Duncan at the opening.

Christmas 2012 Event Our

annual Christmas event was a great success and very well attended. While we waited for Santa to arrive, we were entertained by the Christmas Elf and a Hoola Hooping Fairy!

The choirs of Ballinderry Primary School, Rowandale Integrated Primary School and St Patrick's Primary School each sang a Christmas Carol before joining together to sing Silent Night, creating a truly magical atmosphere.

The lights were switched on by the Mayor of Lisburn and then it was time for the moment we had all been waiting for - the arrival of Santa. This year, Santa greeted over 100 children and everyone went away with a gift. There was a lovely atmosphere in the hall as everyone enjoyed refreshments and festive music. We all were delighted that donations totalling almost £200 were made on the night to the Village Hall Fund. These donations ensure that the hall can continue to hold events such as this.

We look forward to the 2013 Christmas Lights Switch On event which will be held on Thursday December 5th.

Wag & Bone Dog Training Club.

Classes on Wednesday and Friday Nights 7pm to 8.30pm for advanced dogs, 9pm to 10.15pm for novice dogs. Here are some pictures from our recent “Novice, Good Dog Award”. Top right is Tracey Leonard and Michael Kelly with Samson, bottom right are Sally and Joanna Courtney with Henry.

Our judge was Stephen Lloyd from Aghalee.

For enquiries phone Margaret 028 9265 1107.

Thinking of Having a Party?

Why not have it in Aghalee Village Hall?

The hall is suitable for parties for all ages, has full kitchen facilities, disabled access and ample car parking. Contact Gillian Best for more details: 028 9265 0496.

Aghalee Village Hall News - Summer 2013

RSPB Portmore Lough Nature Reserve

Olympic Success

Lucy Best showing off her medals to "Manus" her family pony. Lucy had a fantastic experience at the World Special Olympic Games in S.Korea in February this year, winning two bronze medals, in the giant Slalom and Super-G, and winning a 4th place ribbon in the Slalom.

There were 111 countries competing from around the world. Ireland, along with Saudi Arabia, is one of the few countries that doesn't get to practise on snow. Lucy would like to thank everyone who supported her in so many ways and enabled her to have a truly unique experience.

Book Club Visiting the ‘wee lough’

Portmore is the perfect place to while away a few hours amidst the wonderful tranquil scenery of the ‘wee’ lough and all its wildlife. The tree sparrows are nesting in the woodland boxes, common terns and black-headed gulls are creating nests on the floating rafts and butterflies and damselflies are on the wing, weaving through the reserve.

We are situated just 4 miles from Aghalee village with brown signposts to help you find us. We have a high standard of facilities to offer visitors including; paths and toilets ( to accommodate a range of abilities), picnic area and seating, car park, information shelter, viewing platform, woodland boardwalk, meadow path and bird hide. We are open 365 days a year and access is free for individuals, families, groups or clubs etc!

Common terns

These charismatic black and white raucous fish eating birds have returned to Portmore to breed following a massive migration from sub Saharan Africa! They chose to bred on man made rafts covered in beach pebbles on the reserve created by staff and volunteers. You can get some fantastic views of these birds fishing and feeding their young from the bird hide throughout the summer months.

Wildlife garden

Why not come and take a leisurely stroll around the wildlife garden at the reserve. We have created a new woodland pathway complete with new mini-beast hotels and seating area. Discover how you can help wildlife in your own garden by taking home some useful hints and tips!

For more information please contact the reserve Site Manager- Donnell Black and Asst Warden - Amy Burns.

Office Tel: 028 9265 1936. Mobile: 077 3679 2516.

Check out the Portmore website for events and photographs! www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/p/portmorelough

The newly established Book Club is proving very popular, and we now have a regular attendance of eight to ten people. We are enjoying a diverse range of books from thrillers, to romance, to the classics. The upstairs room in the Village Hall is an ideal setting to sit and relax and chat about what we have read (and often lots more!)

If you are interested in joining us, we meet every four weeks. Next meeting Tues 3 Sept. 8pm.

Ring Fiona on 028 9265 2571 for more info.

Southern Regional College Hobby Art.

Enrolment on Thursday 12th September 2013 between 10.15am and 11.15am. Classes start the following week Thursday 19th September from 10.15am until 12.15pm.

Payment must be made before classes commence. If unable to attend enrolment or if you have any queries please contact Jim Cunningham directly on 028 3839 7868 or 077 1198 1732.

Upholstery Classes

The Upholstery Class on Thursday mornings has been extremely popular and well attended. Here are some of the attendees working on their projects. We look forward to the Upholstery Class resuming in September.

Aghalee Taekwondo Club continues to flourish under the dedicated leadership of Peter Wylie. In fact, it has just celebrated it’s 1st anniversary. By way of celebration, the club organised a trip to Ram’s Island on June 29th and everyone had a fantastic day. A meeting was also held in May and a Committee was elected to help with the running of the club, which is currently working towards Clubmark NI accreditation to ensure that it is being run in a professional manner. The club currently has a weekly attendance of between 30 and 40 and extra classes take place on Thursday nights for grading and competition practice and on Saturday mornings for sparring practice.

In June, Aghalee Taekwondo Club took part in the NI International Poomsae competition and came away with Gold Silver and Bronze medals. Grading will take place in August/September, when pupils will work towards the next level of achievement. The NI Inter-Club Poomsae and the NI Inter-Club Kyorugi competitions will take place in December. So a busy few months of training and practicing ahead. Aghalee Taekwondo Club is a great asset to the village and it is great to see so many young people interested in taking part.

ds ar t w en b to ipm clu SB 00 u o T or , 0 e q n d ds f n d £1 ive wo loy tion ela t k L a Ir ec ae e nd n ot T Th u er e pr th om Fo rth r r No fo f

Aghalee Taekwondo Club

Lexie Spence showed that practice makes perfect by picking up the Silver medal in the ‘D Class U11 Female’ category. Tierna-Leigh Holden picked up the Bronze medal in the ‘D Class U14 Female’ category, and Ben McBarron won Bronze in the ‘D Class U11 Male’ category.

In the teams and pairs, classes C and D were merged making it nigh-on impossible for Aghalee to achieve a medal. As Aghalee TKD club is only 1 year in existence the highest grade is yellow tag (9th Kup), yet they were up against teams with grades as high blue tag (5th Kup).

Despite this, Thomas Green together with Leah Lamont from Monsktown Taekwondo Club put on a tremendous performance to win the Bronze medal Cadet Pair class.

Every single student who stepped onto the mats in front a very large crowd showed that winning attitude, and is to be congratulated. Well done!"

NI ‘International’ Poomsae Championships Saturday 23rd June saw the first ever NI ‘International’ Poomsae Championships. Competition was fierce, and Aghalee Taekwondo Club was up against players with higher grades and much more experience.

Matthew Wylie, in his first competition achieved a Gold medal in the ‘Class D1 U9 Male’ category. Matthew was the youngest in his group at only 5 years old, but he blew the competition away with a performance that defied his young age.

Thomas McCavigan gave an excellent performance in the U9 Male Division and came away with a Bronze medal despite being up against higher grades.

Soccer Summer Camp

Soccer Summer Camp was a huge success in Aghalee Village Hall in July. Coach Danny kept the boys and girls busy with a range of activities and great fun was had by all. DJ Sportz Soccer (over 5s) and Tiger Totz Soccer (under 5s) classes will resume in September. Contact Danny Johnson - 077 0373 5043 for details.

Photograph by www.precious-photos.co.uk

Back from left to right: Aaron Duncan, Connor Suckling, Matthew Wylie, Ella Dickson, Mark Green Front from left to right: Ruaidhri O'Shea, Conan Lowry, Blake Dickson, Thomas McCavigan, Ben McBarron, Mark Green, Adam Black, Lexie Spence, Tierna-Leigh Holden.

Aghalee Taekwondo Club Anniversary Trip

Aghalee Taekwondo Club Anniversary Trip to Rams Island, which took place on a Saturday in July.

A great day - we enjoyed a Treasure Hunt, Barbecue and a historical talk.

Aghalee Village Hall News - Summer 2013

Going Away

It’s that time of year and we’re all thinking of our next holiday and hopefully getting ready to enjoy some sun and relaxation.

However, don’t forget to stay vigilant.

Taking a few simple steps will help to keep your home safe and secure while you are away.

• Let a neighbour or friend know that you are going away.

• Arrange for them to check your house - collect mail. Open/close curtains. Bring bins in. Park their car on your driveway.

• Lock all your windows and doors.

• Remember to cancel your milk and newspapers.

• Use timer switches to turn lights on during the evenings.

• Don’t forget your garden! Effective garden security will help to keep your home secure.

• Advise the local Police that your home will be vacant and provide details for a keyholder.

• Set intruder alarm.

Keep Thieves at Bay!

Clubs and Organisations Using the Hall in 2013

Age (NI) Meet Wednesday. To join please contact June Newell 078 4149 9311

Aghalee Junior Badminton Club NEEDS MEMBERS! Club held on a Tuesday night – September until Easter each year.

Juniors – Primary age - 6pm-8pm Seniors - Above primary age - 8pm–10pm Contact Ken 028 9265 1497 or Carol 028 9265 1762

Art Classes Enrolment on Thursday 12th September 2013 between 10.15am and 11.15am. Classes start the following week - Thursday 19th September from 10.15am until 12.15pm.

Ballinderry Senior Badminton Monday evenings and Thursday evenings.

Main Hall 8-late.

Contact Cathleen Gleave 028 9265 1122 or David Moore 028 9265 2743 or just call in on Mondays

Book Club Every fourth Tuesday in the Upstairs Room Contact Fiona Maree 028 9265 2571

Junior and Tiger Totz Soccer Main Hall, Every Tuesday.

Tiger Totz Soccer for 2-5yrs, 4pm-4.45pm.

Junior Soccer for 6-11yrs, 5pm-6pm.

Contact Danny Johnson - 077 0373 5043

Jeanne Cree Ballet Thursdays. Contact Jeanne Cree 028 9265 2447.

Wag and Bone Club Dog Training Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Contact Margaret Agnew 028 9265 1107.

Heating oil and diesel theft As the price of crude oil rises, fuel oil tanks can be seen as rich and easy pickings by thieves. This means that farms, transport depots and domestic properties can be targeted, particularly in more rural location.

By taking a few simple precautions, you can help protect your oil.

If you require any further information regarding this issue or have information regarding oil or diesel theft please get in touch. Contact your local Neighbourhood Police or Crime Prevention Officer on

0845 600 8000

Junior Taekwondo Club.

6-7 Age Group Class Times - Mon. 6.15pm –7.00pm.

8-12 Age Group Class Times - Mon. 7.15pm - 8.00pm.

Contact Peter Wylie on 078 0836 9389, or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/aghaleetaekwondoclub Upholstery classes September classes to be confirmed - keep an eye on the notice board and Facebook page for details Contact June Acheson 028 9261 9177.

Coming Soon - IT Classes - Watch this space!

To Contact Aghalee Village Hall: email: aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com, postal address: 6 Lurgan Road, Aghalee, Craigavon, BT67 0EQ Tel: Clare Ward (Secretary) 028 9265 0377

Where to find copies of the newsletter

For an electronic version see www.issu.com and Facebook, just enter Aghalee Village Hall as the reference or please email: aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com