StrabaneHerald_December2022.pdf

Santa Claus and Mayor switch on the Christmas lights

Thousands of people lined the streets of Strabane as Santa Claus and Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Sandra Duffy, switched on the town’s Christmas lights for the first time with a Magical Winter Wonderland Procession.

The procession included an array of festive characters and beautiful bespoke Christmas themed mobile installations from LUXE who weaved their way through the town turning on the lights for the first time as they passed.

The event formed part of Council’s Unwrap the Magic of Christmas programme which includes the Mayor’s Magical Christmas Experience at The Alley Theatre and The Winterland Market in Guildhall Square.

“What a joy it was to kick off our festive celebrations in Strabane and welcome families back into the town centre for the Christmas lights switch-ons,” said Mayor Duffy.

“It was a majestic moment to see the town lit up for the first time and I would like to commend Council’s maintenance teams for all their hard work in making sure the town looks resplendent this Christmas.

“Thank you to everyone who attended and a special thank you to our special guest Santa Claus for taking time out from his busy schedule to attend.

“He assured me he will return on Christmas Eve to deliver presents for all the girls and boys in Strabane.”

Mayor Duffy will host a special Magical Christmas Experience at The Alley on Sunday 4th December from 12pm to 5pm.

The North Pole Gang will arrive in Strabane and transform The Alley into a Winter Wonderland with circus games, storytelling, a puppet show and an exclusive chance to meet and greet Santa and all his friends.

Places for the Christmas Experience are free but must be pre –booked.

For more information visit www.derrystrabane. com/Christmas or contact The Alley Theatre Box Office on 028 71 384444.

You can support Council’s support local campaign using the hashtags #ChristmasDS and #GiftLocal on social media.

DEEDS - Wide Peer Call for Age Friendly Work

Services from Derry City and Strabane District Council were delighted to be a guest speaker and offer best practice advice on Age Friendly work on a recent Peer Call with representatives from across the UK.

Sinead Devine, Project Co-ordinator DEEDs and George McGowan, Project Director with The Old Library Trust Healthy Living Centre presented on the call to over 40 Age Friendly Cities and Communities representatives from Manchester, Sunderland and Bristol, with Derry City and Strabane District Council Age Friendly Co-ordinator, Ciara Burke, in attendance.

The call was part of the Centre for Ageing Better UK Network, a charitable foundation funded by an endowment from The National Lottery Community Fund and part of the

Government’s What Works Network, which aims to improve the design and delivery of public services.

Over 40 various Age Friendly cities and communities’ representatives from across the four nations attended the presentation, showcasing and recognising the achievements of DEEDS in the North West.

Ciara Burke, Age Friendly Co-ordinator for DCSDC, said, “Locally we have many key partners, from community and voluntary sector as well as statutory partners continuously delivering services to help build an Agefriendly movement and creating Age-friendly opportunities for this region to be a place to better place to age well within.

“This was a great achievement for DEEDs to be

showcased through the Centre for Ageing Better UK Network and the DEEDs service model has been an interesting insight for many Age Friendly Communities across the UK to learn more.”

The Centre for Ageing Better are pioneering ways to make ageing better a reality for everyone. They aim to inspire and inform those in power to tackle the inequalities faces by older people, as well as call out and challenge ageism in all its forms.

George McGowan, Project Director with The Old Library Trust Healthy Living Centre, said the presentation outlined the work to date, their award-winning responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and plans for future service delivery.

“The Centre for Ageing Better UK invited the Old Library Trusts DEEDS (Dementia engaged

and empowered in Derry & Strabane) project to present their approach, experience and service delivery that is delivered across the Derry and Strabane district in both urban and rural areas to support people living with Dementia, their careers and others to encourage this community to become a more Dementia friendly place to grow older in.

“It was great to be recognised for our best practice efforts and I look forward to making new connections and partnerships for us all within the Age Friendly movement following on from this event.”

For further information on the Centre for Ageing Better UK, please visit www.ageing-better.org.uk

If you have been following everything that’s been happening across mainstream media over the past few months, you wouldn’t be criticized for thinking the buy-to-let property market is now dead. Let’s review some of the highlights to help resolve this critical debate.

If we look back to the impact of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget in September 2022, analysis shows that this budget cost the country a staggering £30bn, which immediately spooked the market as the pound fell to its lowest-ever level against the dollar. It is no surprise this was swiftly followed by the Prime Minister’s resignation after just 44 days in office. Not long after the turmoil, we saw an increase in mortgage rates across all U.K lenders, which immediately instilled panic in homeowners, property investors and anyone looking to purchase their first residential property.

Let’s review some interesting statistics to help put all this information into perspective. Firstly, looking at the Bank of England’s current base rate, which is currently 3%, it may seem like a shocking figure to most as the base rate has been averaging below 1% since 2009. However, if we look back farther to circa 1980, the base rate was soaring at 17%, which now gives us a much clearer picture of where we stand in today’s market.

So, what does all this really mean for property investors? You will find that the main question on most people’s minds is this: “Is now a good time to invest?” . Let’s break this question down because there are quite a few common reasons people choose to wait instead of investing now.

The main reason you will find is people choose to wait for a financial crash to purchase property at a discounted price. Please be careful if this is the strategy you choose because the more time you wait, the more generated income you are missing out on from purchasing the property now. In addition to this, with inflation currently soaring at 11.1% the more impact this is having on the value of your money. If your money was invested in an

asset such as property, not only will this provide you with a consistent passive income stream, but it will also benefit from capital appreciation over time and curb the impact of rising inflation.

Experienced investors understand that property investing is a long-term strategy, so even IF the market does crash over the next few years, it will not have a huge impact on your finances if you’re planning on holding the property long-term. Remember, it’s not about TIMING the market, it’s about YOUR TIME in the market!

If you would like any assistance with your property investment strategy or would like a better return on your savings, SC Property Sourcing & Investments Ltd offer a very competitive fixed return service which will get your savings to work.

To keep up to date with all things property you can find me on Facebook and Instagram under Shane Coyle Property. You can also contact me directly at

There were some wonderful illuminating sights to behold in Strabane Town Centre over the Halloween period, as businesses went all out to impress shoppers with their wicked window displays.

Donna’s Flower Box was announced the winner of the Halloween Window Dressing Competition, which was organised by the Strabane BID. The business will receive £1,000 for its devilish display which impressed the judges and spooked shoppers throughout the Halloween celebrations.

Hot on their heels were McColgan’s Food Hall who secured the second place prize of £500 and Classic Beauty who will receive £250 for third.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Sandra Duffy, congratulated all the businesses who took part. “There were some extremely impressive entries in the competition which really brought the town centre to life throughout the festivities this year. Halloween is not only a fantastic excuse to have fun, it’s also

a real opportunity for local businesses to attract new customers out to enjoy the celebrations.

“I want to congratulate all the participants from the business community who worked so well together to enhance the visitor experience in Strabane, and to promote all this wonderful town has to offer all year round. Well done to the winners and all who took part.”

Chair of the Strabane BID, Kieran Kennedy said: “Halloween provides a vital boost to local business at a time of year that bridges the gap between summer and Christmas. We have gone through some very challenging times, and they are not over yet, so it’s important to find new creative ways of promoting local businesses and engaging with customers.

“Strabane has a vibrant and diverse array of products and services, and our business community works hard to showcase this offering when opportunities arise. We have had a great Halloween weekend, with lots of new visitors here

Gaeilge goes global with Michelle’s online classes

An Irish teacher has been sharing her love of the language with pupils across the world – all from her laptop at home. Michelle Furey has taught hundreds of students through her online business MF Learning, which she launched last year after a decade teaching Irish in schools, GAA clubs and even a high security prison.

She now has more than 200 pupils logging into her virtual lessons, including a New York-based newspaper editor who takes three classes a week, a London film producer preparing to shoot an Irish language movie in Belfast, and a California-based corporate boss with a gold fáinne for fluency in Irish.

Michelle, who is from Plumbridge, came up with the business idea for MF Learning during lockdown. PreCovid, she had been working as a classroom-based Irish teacher, but her work went online in March 2020 when educational institutions had to close their doors.

“I was quickly thrust into having to use forums such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Cisco WebEx to provide lessons,” recalls Michelle, who discovered her passion for Irish as a schoolgirl, and has a Master’s in education.

“I found very quickly that online teaching really suited me, I loved the flexibility that it brought to my life. All I needed was a computer, a microphone and a headset, where previously I would have been reliant on whiteboards and printed teaching resources.”

According to Michelle, students also benefitted from the interactive nature of the lessons.

“It meant I could easily share videos and media, and place people in groups online to work together from the comfort of their own home,” she adds.

Michelle began to explore the possibility of turning her new virtual teaching skills into a fully-fledged business, encouraged by her parents Angela and Owen who “believed I was able to do something like this long before I did, they have always been my inspiration” .

Early in the process, Michelle enlisted the help of Derry City and Strabane District Council and the Strabane Enterprise Agency, enrolling in their Go For It and Start Up Accelerator (SUAP) programmes. Through the free schemes, Michelle attended “invaluable” workshops on

topics such marketing, social media, and improving sales, and was also assigned two mentors, Leah McStravick from Full Circle Management Solutions and Ailish McCafferty from Derry’s Agora Branding.

“I would definitely recommend those with a business idea to get in touch with the Council and Strabane Enterprise Agency. The support was easy to access, the staff involved with SUAP and Go For It are fabulous, and the mentors are second to none,” says Michelle.

“Setting up a business can be a very lonely endeavour; you are responsible for everything. The support I felt from the mentors at the SUAP was invaluable to the success of the business.”

Michelle is no stranger to challenges, having spent a year teaching Irish in Maghaberry Prison in her early twenties.

“Obviously I wasn’t allowed to bring anything in with me, which meant I had to be very flexible and less reliant on resources,” she says. “It was very challenging, but I learnt how resilient I was under pressure.”

With growing demand for her classes, which range from complete beginners to advanced, Michelle has been able to employ two freelance teachers. Her primary schoolbased Irish language programme is also flourishing, with six schools on board to date.

“The interactive nature of the online lessons has definitely taken over but I do adore my on-site Irish,” she says. “My dream has always been to pass on the beautiful Gaeilge language to the next generation, to spread the message that Irish is for all, and in order to keep the language alive we must speak it. It is a dream come true for me to be able to do that every day – labhair í agus mairfidh sí (speak her and she will survive).”

Derry City and Strabane District Council and local enterprise agencies, Strabane Enterprise Agency and Enterprise North West can help new and existing businesses with a range of tailored programmes. Contact a Business Advisor now for free support at businesssupport@derrystrabane.com

For more information on MF Learning classes for all ages, visit mflearning.co.uk, follow @globalgaeilge on social media, or email mflearning.classes@gmail.com

Aspecial delegation recently visited the cross community environmental hub in Donemana to open a new community garden and find out more about the work being carried out locally though the T:BUC (Together Building a United Community) Trees Initiative. The group included representatives of the Executive Office, Derry City and Strabane District Council, and the McGill family who opened the new garden within the hub, which is a popular shared environmental space. They were welcomed by the Board of Trustees from the Dennett Valley Health Network, who have been working in partnership with Council and TEO on the T:buc Trees Initiative as part of Council’s wider Good Relations Programme.

T:BUC Trees is a programme led by the Executive Office working with the Woodland Trust, and the Education Authority, focused on providing people from all backgrounds with opportunities to learn more about the environment and the value of conservation. It encourages young people in particular to engage in tree-planting promoting sustainability and enhancing local areas.

Margaret Geelan officially opened the McGill garden which is named after her late Father and Mother who played a huge contribution to the creation of this new Community space, and a tree was planted to mark the occasion. The

McGill family have played a key role in promoting awareness about the importance of protecting and enhancing the wildlife and natural resources of the Dennett Valley.

The new sign above the entrance to the McGill Garden highlights the immense contribution the family have made to Community Development works over many decades in the local area.

Speaking after the event, Council Good Relations Officer Pauline O’Neill said: “I want to thank the McGill family and our partners in the Executive Office for their ongoing commitment to improving community relations and creating shared green spaces for all to enjoy. The McGill garden is a fantastic addition to the community environmental hub here in Donemana, and builds on the wonderful work that the McGill family have done over the years to support the local community.

“We were delighted at the turn out for the opening event with leaders and representatives from the five local Churches all present, including the Presbyterian Church, The Church of Ireland, The Catholic Church, The Methodist Church and the Baptist Church. And many other supporters and representatives from surrounding Community Organisations were also in attendance, demonstrating the importance of creating these shared spaces for everyone across the community to enjoy.”

Over the Summer months, Strabane Aye have been carrying out on street engagement with young people in various hotspot in Strabane and we have targeted the engagement and participation of hard-to-reach young people. We have built engagement, carrying out a number of workshops and we rolled out a programme of interventions and activities. Over the period we engaged with these marginalised young people promoting a framework model of engagement as a means of empowering disengaged young people to deal with community issues. We have held meetings and facilitated workshops, also meeting the Noah Donohoe Foundation and we are planning further meetings with statutory bodies and the young people themselves. Our summer intervention work has also seen various activities with a Fishing Trip to Birchwood, a trip to a Water Park in Kilrea, Go-karting event in Letterkenny, Laser Tagging in Limitless Limavady as well as Bowling in Derry.

The project will continue in the coming months to design and plan a way forward for these young people in their development and in confidence building measures.

The reality is that there are growing issues of disaffection amongst our young people in many areas across Strabane and that increases the risk of being drawn towards negative influences and a spiral of poor choices. Our project tackles issues like Anti-social behaviour, alcohol & drugs and provides young people with practical ways to build their outlook and prospects. We are addressing issues that deeply affect the lives of young people and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to build a more positive future for themselves and others.

AYE offers support, early intervention, prevention, education and mediation. Our focus is to empower the young people themselves so that they can make better choices and take control of their own lives. We provide, One to one engagement with young people, Peer Group Work, Family Engagement, Community Engagement as well as Signposting.

A big Thank you to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Kevin Watson Group (KWG) for sponsoring and supporting the development of our young people

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Nothing beats a brass band at Christmas and Strabane Brass Band are delighted to be hosting their first ever Christmas concert in the Alley Theatre on Wednesday, December 7 at 7.30pm

With a month to go until the big day, Strabane Brass Band have the perfect night out for you to get in the festive spirit with a beautiful Christmas Concert. Enjoy a feast of traditional Christmas pieces, medleys and carols from the band and special guests including Class Act Singers under the direction of band member Ryan Quinn.

The evening will also feature Strabane Brass Band’s Youth Group ‘Brass Works’ . A welcome return of the youth programme which has been reformed after Covid 19. Amanda McGinley, Youth Coordinator, commented, “Strabane Brass Band is proud to provide free tuition and instruments for young people from local schools. Our main aim is to promote the love, history and heritage of brass band music in Strabane as well as giving our members a social outlet for people who enjoy taking part in music.

“We have made a commitment to our local community to ensure that we provide young people with opportunities to perform in a brass band. We are privileged to work with groups who have not had

the opportunity to avail of brass band instruments before and through this we hope to give young people a new interest and love and one day continue this love into adulthood hobby or career. It is amazing to see the confidence and talent these young people have, and I cannot wait until the audience experience their performance. As well as the younger generation, we are extremely thankful to the older band members who create the fantastic band we have today. Therefore we are delighted to feature ‘Vintage Brass’ in our upcoming concert who continue to pass their wealth of experience to younger members. We can promise you a wonderful evening that all generations will enjoy in the lead up to Christmas.”Terry Doherty, Chairman, added, “Strabane Brass Band is the collaboration of St Joseph’s Brass Band and Strabane Concert Brass originally coming together as ‘The Three Rivers Brass Band’ Since the formation in 2017 the band have appeared in numerous concerts across Northern Ireland including the famous Walled City Tattoo and have won many awards.”

Tickets for Strabane Brass Band Christmas Concert are £6 available from the Alley Theatre website www. alley-theatre.com or box office 028 71 384444

Derry City and Strabane District Council is encouraging everyone across the city and district to display their house number outside their property, to help in the event of an emergency.

Residents are reminded that all homes within the city and district are required to have a civic number permanently installed at the front of the property. In the event of an emergency, timing is critical, and the PSNI, Fire Service or Ambulance workers need to be able to clearly see your door number, or they could be delayed while trying to locate the correct address.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Sandra Duffy, urged residents and business owners to follow the advice and display their door numbers accordingly.

“The importance of having a visible address number on your home or business cannot be emphasised enough. All too often, emergency services are delayed when trying to find a particular location.

“We want to ensure the police, fire brigade and ambulance staff can find you quickly and efficiently, should you ever need their services. Council have offered some suggested guidelines when displaying your house number and I encourage everyone to listen and adhere to these guidelines. It really is very important and in all our best interests.

“The last thing we would ever want is that someone has been delayed in receiving critical care from emergency services because they couldn’t find their home.”

Council have reminded everyone that door numbers should be displayed as a number and not text or letters, and it should be at least three inches high when on a residential property, and four inches high when on a business.

Numbers should be contrasting colour to the background and placed on, above or at the side of the main entrance, so that they can be easily seen from the street. If the entrance is more than 50 feet from the street, or is not visible, a second set of numbers should be displayed on the mailbox or on a post at the end of the driveway.

Everyone is reminded that emergency services could be coming to your address from any direction, and to ensure both sides of the mailbox are marked with the number. Reflective numbers are highly recommended.

For more information, please visit www. derrystrabane.com/Buildingcontrol

Strabane Brass Band Christmas Concert

Join us on the 7th December as the award-winning Strabane Brass Band host a festive concert featuring brass and voice. The band will be joined by the Class Act Theatre Group and Brass Works, the band’s youth group to provide a feast of traditional Christmas pieces, medleys and carols to get you well into the Christmas spirit.

A Fairytale of the Pogues – Pogues Tribute by the Rapparees

Supported by Paul Tully

The Rapparees bringing their festive homage to the Pogues to The Alley on Thursday 8th December. The show sees the Belfast 5 piece expand to a 12 piece with the full brass section many remember from the raucous Pogues live shows from the late 80s & early 90s.

Expect to hear all the hits – A Rainy Night in Soho, Streams of Whiskey, Sally Maclennane, If I should Fall from Grace with God, The Body of an American and of course, the Fairytale itself.

This fantastic evening will be supported by the wonderful singer / songwriter Paul Tully. If you haven’t seen him live before, you are in for a treat. Paul has supported Foy Vance, Cara Dillon and Paddy Casey to name but a few and we are delighted to welcome him back to the Alley stage.

Strabane Chamber Choir

Join Strabane Chamber Choir for their Annual festive mix of Choral, Jazz and seasonal classics with special guests Class Act Choir

A Christmas Country with the Stars

Back by popular demand the “Christmas Country With the Stars Show” returns for another super night of toe-tapping Country magic with a festive feel on 10th December The stellar line-up which wouldn’t

look out of place in Nashville will include the energetic Shawn Cuddy, the young sensation Owen Mac, the popular Curtis Magee, Yodelling Kenny Archer and truckers favourite Boxcar Brian. Each of the stars will perform there trademark hit songs with a Christmas flavour in the company of Ireland’s top backing band Keltic Storm band. This is a rare chance to see 5 of Ireland’s top stars all on one show.

Strabane Marie Curie Fundraising Group Presents STRABANE COMMUNITY CAROL SERVICE

Join us for this very heart-warming festive evening on 13th December. There will be seasonal music performed by special guests and scripture readings by our local clergy. Please come along and help support this worthy cause.

Music to Your Ears

Christmas Concert Music to Your Ear’s Men’s Group are delighted to host a cozy, informal evening of festive favourites and fun in the bar area of The Alley Theatre on 14th December. This

relaxed and intimate night will have you reminiscing, singing along and getting in the festive spirit. Limited tickets available so booking is essential.

Gerard Bradley presents: The Christmas Crooners “Baby it’s cold outside” A Romantic Christmas Special on Friday 16th December

This fantastic cast of WestEnd Singers, are backed by the superb and talented swing band: The Jazz- All-Stars and they perform over 30 well known Christmas hits.. Staged in the warm and delightful style of the famous Andy Williams Christmas Shows, this brilliant production comes complete with Christmas Trees, a Rocking Chair and of course a lovely warm fireplace; just right for roasting those chestnuts and toasting the season! The Crooners give the audience a show full of swinging Christmas cheer, and witty banter, a perfect show for the perfect season. Guaranteed to get you in the festive mood, come and sing along to great songs from Christmas past with the Christmas Crooners.

Boiler Room Comedy Special with Ro Boyle and Special Guests

The Alley Theatre is excited to announce Strabane Comedian Ro Boyle is bringing his boiler room show to a bigger audience for a Christmas special on 17th December. More people, bigger laughs. With an amazing line-up including Diona Doherty, William Thompson, Aaron Mc Cann, Fintan Harvey and Eamon Mc Elwee.

Orchestra North West presents: The Snowman & Christmas Classics

Back by popular demand, Or chestra NorthWest, the region’s symphony orchestra, will bring Christmas cheer to audiences as they present The Snowman & Other Christmas Classics on 18th December. Orchestra NorthWest have put together a beautiful programme of music which includes the Howard Blake timeless orchestral work ‘The Snowman’ as well as sea sonal favourites such as Troïka, Sleigh Ride, the Home Alone Suite and some original takes on a few festive tunes which you will know and love. Come share in the excitement of the festive

Jamie Donnelly

Jamie Donnelly is one of Ireland’s rising country stars coming to the Alley on 19th December. Having recently received awards for Best Female Newcomer in Northern Ireland’s Country Music Awards and Rising Female Artist at the Hot Country TV Awards, she prom ises to bring an evening filled with Country Classics ranging from well-known favourites to some of her own material. With a selection of gospel songs as well as Christmas favourites prom ised on the night, Jamie wishes to bring you all a fun filled show that will dazzle your Christmas celebrations. Joined by the high ly popular Matrimony Band, this will be a night you will remember and won’t want to miss!

The Logues

The Logues are back for their New Years Eve Eve Special on 30th December.The five-piece band come from the tiny border of town of Castlederg in Coun ty Tyrone. After a few years playing jam sessions in dens of ill repute, the band decided to seek pastures new, armed with the irreverent song writing chops of tin whistle/bassist Logan McCool. The self-recorded and released Tough at the Bottom (2011) reflected this. Comin’ of Age (2016) shared much of the former’s frenetic, folk punk elements but also marked a pro gression in sound to elements of singer-songwriter and Americana. This is their first live show @ The Alley in three years and will certainly be a New Years Eve Eve Special.

2023 Shows

Check out our 2023 shows now on sale – perfect for those Christmas Presents and Stock ing fillers. Shows coming up include The Illegals with Niamh Kavanagh, Orange is the New Green, Sorry For Your Loss, Give My Head Peace, David O’Doherty, Colin Murphy, The Kilkennys, Strabane Drama Festival and lots more! Check them out on www.alley-theatre.com

season and experience a sprinkle of Christmas musical magic!

Dublin businesses get strong ‘Invest in the North West’

Business leaders and stakeholders from the North West City Region travelled to Dublin recently as part of a cross border “Invest in the North West” engagement event organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council.

The business focused event was an opportunity for fast scaling businesses and leading blue-chip companies operating in and around Dublin to look at prospective investment opportunities in the North West City Region.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Sandra Duffy who attended the event said it was a great success and a fantastic opportunity to promote the North West City Region to a new audience.

She said: “It was an excellent opportunity for us to raise awareness of what our region has to offer in terms of the calibre of our talent, our unique geographic position and strong quality of life offering. We had a very strong investment proposition that was led by Derry and Donegal business leaders who were able to outline from personal experiences the opportunities that exist for businesses investing in the North West. The event was hugely beneficial not only in terms of networking but in sharing information and experiences with business and investment influencers in Dublin on the North West as a potential investment location for future expansion.”

Invest in the North West was organised as part of the North West City Region Economic Development initiative between Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council with endorsement from a range of stakeholders including the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Invest NI, Udaras na Gaeltachta, ATU, Ulster University, Donegal ETB, North West Regional College and many more.

An Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council

Cllr Liam Blaney, who also attended the event said that the collaborative approach of the two councils and stakeholders from the North West in working together to attract investment to the region was hugely important.

He said: “The ‘Invest in the North West’ event provided us with an opportunity to leverage the success of our existing investors and showcase the work of the companies making a success of it here. We were able to engage directly with businesses from the Dublin area and highlight to them the potential opportunities of having operations in the North West City Region. We are confident that as a result of this event we can develop an investor pipeline for the region that will in turn help to boost the efforts of the investment agencies to accelerate growth and investment in the North West.”

Among the businesses from the North West who spoke at the event were FinTrU, Optum, Caldwell and Robinson and Learning Pool. Attendees at the event heard at firsthand about the opportunities that exist for companies interested in locating in the North West, how they have access to a significant pool of graduates from the cross-border region and a growing talent pool of managerial and professional talent as individuals return to the region, attracted by the exceptional quality of life and cost of living as well as a significantly upgraded infrastructure.

Prospective investors heard about the ability of the regions dynamic education and training sector to provide practical and ground breaking workforce development supports to businesses located in the region.

There was a very clear message to all attendees that the region offers a very attractive proposition. Businesses here have access to the both the EU and UK markets – providing a winwin for businesses operating in the region.

Association

Owners of historic properties in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area are being reminded of the need to protect their buildings from deterioration ahead of the winter months.

Maintenance Week, held from November 18-25, was an initiative to encourage anyone who looks after an historic property to carry out routine maintenance to their building to make sure that minor problems don’t become major ones during the winter.

The programme aligned with National Maintenance Week - a campaign started by The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy, said that prevention is better than cure when maintaining older buildings.

“This Maintenance Week we are advising anyone with responsibility for older buildings to carry out regular monitoring and minor maintenance as the most effective way to protect them from deterioration,” she said.

“The most common cause of damage is due to water getting into the fabric of the building, from its roof, rainwater goods or exterior walls and if such issues are left unattended, they can

cause serious problems within a building due to penetrating damp, leading eventually to rot. It’s important to get to know your building, a regular schedule of inspection of a property can help to identify the risk areas and put plans in place for repairs before damage occurs.”

If your building is listed or in a conservation area, owners may need to apply for consent before carrying out any works which alter the character and appearance. Please contact Derry City & Strabane District Council or the Department for Communities, Historic Environment Division for advice.

Ensure that you consider your safety, and the safety of others, when carrying out checks and maintenance on your building, where works are required it is always good to consider gaining the advice of a qualified professional.

For advice and tips to help you keep up with your building’s needs and the challenges that can arise from caring for an aging structure you can e mail

heritage@derrystrabane.com or visit derrystrabane.com/maintenancematters and https://www.spab.org.uk/campaigning/ maintenance-matters

The new attractive Sperrins Scenic Driving Routes guide includes up to date information on new experiences and places of interest that are on offer in abundance across the wild and mostly undiscovered Sperrins.

The Sperrins Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is located in the west of Northern Ireland. The wider Sperrins area stretches from the Donegal border in the west, to Lough Neagh in the east and to the Atlantic shores in the north. This natural asset of stunning mountain range mixed with the unspoilt landscape of winding rivers, sun swept valleys and scenic lakes all translate into a region recognised as one of the most idyllic geographical areas of rural Ireland and one that begs to be discovered.

There are four signposted scenic driving routes on offer in the Sperrins area; Central, South, East and North Sperrins Scenic Routes. Each route connects accommodation, visitor services, tourist attractions and scenic viewpoints, offering the perfect way to explore this unique region while offering an opportunity to become immersed in an environment millions of years in the making and steeped in myth and legend.

Chair of the Sperrins Partnership, Councillor Dan Kelly said; “The Sperrins Scenic Driving Routes offer a journey to immerse yourself in a new world experience in a stunning Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty, savour the beauty and serenity of being unplugged and free for a journey of discovery. These are a range of road trips like no other and the new guide offers tips and advice on places of interest, experiences and activities scattered throughout the region. The Sperrin Mountains have also featured in National Geographic’s prestigious list of Top 101 scenic drives in the world which is a very fitting tribute to this wonderful landscape.”

The Sperrins Scenic Driving Routes guide is available at a number of Visitor Information Centres across the Sperrins including: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh; Magherafelt Visitor Information Centre; The Alley Theatre Arts and Conference Centre, Strabane and Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, Limavady. For further information on the Sperrins Partnership and the Sperrins Scenic Driving Routes please visit www.sperrinspartnershipproject.com

on

Santa Claus and Mayor switched

the Christmas lights

Croghan View Melmount Road Christmas Market

Strabane lights up for Christmas in 2022 Style

Must have Christmas Toys for 2022

Jiggly Pets Puppy is the cutest, funkiest walking dog!

This electronic puppy walks, barks and wags its tail whilst playing a catchy tune! Watch pup move to the rhythm of the music! This adorable pup is so soft to touch with a stretchy rubbery face and body. It’s the cutest, funniest pup – you’ll have so much fun as you watch your pup walk and jiggle to the music! No dog dances more adorably than Jiggly Pup. It’s the cutest walking dog! Listening to the catchy tune is sure to make you want to dance too!

Squishmallows Platypu

It wouldn’t be a Christmas toy list without a plush in here somewhere. Made with high quality, ultra-soft materials, perfect to snuggle with while relaxing at home, watching a movie, or taking a long car or plane ride. Plus, there’s a whole squad of Squishmallows to pick from and each has its own personality, like Brindall the Platypus - who loves hummus apparently - there’s also sarcastic stingray Aziza, avid hiker Yara the yeti and many more to choose from.

3D Figure Maker - Bo Peep & Buzz. This brilliant set includes all you need to get mold n’ play creative. 5 bright colours with 4 super fun molds and super soft modelling compound this is an amazing set for imaginative sensory play.

Team

up with Chase

Action packed highway rescues in his rescue truck! This PAW Patrol themed toy features an exciting vehicle transformation - simply lift the truck cab roof to get Chase in and out of the driver’s seat, then tilt the truck trailer forward and raise the roof to activate command centre mode, which converts the truck trailer into a 2-story command centre and reveals the rescue projectile launcher - making it the perfect rescue vehicle for high-speed highway rescue missions!

Dinosaur to dunk

Make bath-time fun with your very own dinosaur to dunk. This toy has suction cup so can easily be attached to your bath or tiles, and the pouring cup and water wheel makes for an easy way to shower little heads too, while aiding development through some imaginative fun. Not only is this dino fun to play with, his clever spinning motion encourages hand-eye coordination too.

Make-up

Barbie

It’s not a Christmas list without Barbie, and this Cutie Reveal

well as receiving

unboxing experience of this

a gift in itself, with 10 surprises to be discovered.

Inside the box is a soft, plush husky puppy with tinsel fur and four surprise bags, but remove the husky costume and there’s a Barbie doll with long, icy blue hair and twinkle-shine details. Open the surprise bags to find a cute skirt, headband, sponge-comb and mini pet husky puppy.

100 Classic Games Compendium All of the board game classics in one handy box! The opportunities are truly endless, with 100 Classic Games Compendium you have 100 different game options to choose from. Play some of the old classics, or learn to play something newNot suitable for children under the age of 5

Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Mold and Play Mold and make Bo Peep & Buzz with this Disney PIxar Toy Story 4 Softee Dough

The Wooden Hammer Bench Bench Helps develop fine motor skills and hand-to-eye coordination. It builds early knowledge of shapes and colour recognition. Perfect for little hands, they’ll love taking out their frustrations of not being allowed to nap with this wooden hammering bench. Secretly they’ll be learning about different shapes and colours, but they won’t know that as they bash the colourful pegs into the holes on the bench before knocking them back out again!

Charlie Mackesy’s beloved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse coming to BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas. This beautifully made hardback celebrates the work of over 100 animators across two years of production - with Charlie’s distinctive illustrations brought to life in full colour with hand-drawn traditional animation and accompanying hand-written script. Love Charlie x

doll is a favourite pick for Christmas 2022. As

a coveted Barbie doll, the

toy is

Letter from Santa!

Hello boys and girls...

I thought I’d just get a little message out to you all before I make my big trip on Christmas Eve. I hope you are all keeping well boys and girls and getting excited about Christmas. I’ve been hearing from all your parents and teachers in Strabane in the letters they send me and they tell me that you are all being very, very good indeed, which certainly helps when I’m making my list...ho-ho-ho!

I’ve met some of you already in recent weeks during my visits to Strabane. Wasn’t the parade and the lights switch-on a brilliant day? It was lovely to see some of you that day and I remember everything you asked for.

The Elves, Mrs Claus and I have being going through all your letters also and working away here in Lapland to get all your special presents ready. It’s been so much fun working on them and trying them out to make sure they work for you on Christmas morning. Mrs Claus said for you all to go easy on the chocolate chipped cookies you have sitting out for me. But between you and me, she won’t know if you don’t tell her, so feel free to leave them sitting out for me...ho-ho-ho!

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen can’t wait to get to Strabane again. They just love flying over the ‘Tinnies’ , along the river Mourne and over the bridges on the way to all your houses. Don’t let the Derry ones know this – between you and me, I always come to Strabane first...ho-ho-ho!

Anyway, I hope you have a Merry Christmas boys and girls and a wonderful 2023.

Merry Christmas, Your good ‘old’ friend,

Santa Claus

A little something different for Christmas 2022

Snakes and Bladdered

A very adult twist on the classic game, Snakes and Bladdered will ensure an evening of absolute hilarity. The pack contains six shot glasses to use as counters, a four-piece glass board and dice and is suitable for 2-4 players. Each player will be at serious risk of falling, both down the snakes and on to the floor in a drunken heap. Please drink responsibly!

Photo Boxers and Women’s Pants

Boxers and Women’s Pants are good and practical and stuff, but if they don’t have your other half’s/best mate’s face all over them, then what’s the point, really? And as much as you’re gonna want to show them off to the family/the office/the general world, we recommend you do wear some kind of clothing over the top of them!!

Takeaway Dice .

Take the tension out of takeaway night by letting this dice do the decision-making – we love the fact it can be personalised, and that it comes in its own eco-friendly noodle box. It is made from solid wood and would make a great secret Santa present.

Give yourself a double dose with this grown-up, just-for-you version of one of childhood’s greatest gadgets: the reel viewer. Assemble snapshots of your favourite memories and add them to your very own reel using the redemption code included with your viewer. Once you receive your made-to-order reel, pop it in the viewer and marvel at baby’s first steps, or your favourite beach at sunset, or... well, whatever else you want immortalized.

How To Appear Normal At Social Events

This fantastically witty collection of illustrated advice follows Lord Birthday, a protagonist for our times. His eccentric lifestyle is matched only by the ode to joy that his insightful advice on facing up to life’s paradoxes and limitations. How To Appear Normal At Social Events is the perfect gift for that friend or relative who has always swayed against the tide and needs reassurance that most of the things people do make no senseand that’s OK.

Marshall Rockstar Amp Keyring Holder

A totally original gift idea for a music loving family member or friend, this holder comes with four keyrings and a holder in the shape of the iconic Marshall amp. It makes a great statement piece when hung in the hallway. It may not go up to eleven, but compliments will be plentiful.

Whiskey Marmalade

A special gift for that adult friend or relative that needs to start the day with a spring in their step. This zesty orange marmalade has the added kick of whiskey. Spread the joy, quite literally!

Peanuts From Hell .

Looking for a snack from hell? Have a try of these peanuts from hell that have been dry roasted in a special mix of spices and peppers including the habanero pepper! These claim to be the hottest peanuts in the world and leave a serious kick after just one! Get these for anyone you know who can handle extremely hot food and remind them to wash their hands after eating them and before rubbing their eyes!!

Personalised Dog on Socks

There’s nothing more unique for a dog lover than this gift of their Dog On Socks! Made from soft poly-cotton, the socks are available in three sizes and a huge array of colours. These aren’t just any old ordinary pair of dog socks. The unique selling point with these is that you can upload you own picture of a dog and their face will be added several times to your chosen pair of socks.

White bones and black paw prints will also feature around and in-between the gorgeous dog faces!

Reel Viewer

Witty Quotes and Wise Words From a Drag Superstar is packed full of one-liners, putdowns, snappy advice and a truckload of sass. Divided up into five sections; Love, Drag, Herself, Culture, this handy pocketbook holds an answer for every situation life may choose to throw at you. Whether matters of the heart, self-discovery, or identity, RuPaul is here for you and has been there, done that, and got the blouse.

Personalised

Po k cket t RuPaul l Wisdom

Strabane Academy Casino Royale Formal

Oh what a night...glitz, glamour and chocolate poker chips, what more could you ask for! It truly was an outstanding night, well organised by our Prefect team and staff. The pupils looked fabulous and they danced the night away after posing for many, many photographs!

The Gift of Sound &Vision

There was a lot going on in Strabane on Thursday, February 22, 1968: it was “panto” time at St Patrick’s Hall with a local production of ‘Sinbad the Sailor’; Yul Brynner could be found down the road on the big screen at the Commodore Cinema in ‘Return of the Seven’ , and just over the bridge at St Mary’s Hall, a seminal moment in both local and grand-scale Irish rock music was taking place: Taste, featuring burgeoning guitar hero Rory Gallagher, were headlining with support from local four-piece Double Vision.

Gallagher’s journey from Taste to solo glory, to being lauded by Hendrix and pursued by The Rolling Stones, has been well documented. The other band on the bill that night in St Mary’s, Double Vision, have their own place in local music history, being one of the leading lights in instigating a rock band scene in Strabane.

Yes, the dance-band and the showband scene had been well established up and down the country at this point, but the emerging counterculture of the late 60s was having an impact locally in just the same way as it was around the world. Younger music fans were feeding off a different kind of sound courtesy of The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, Cream, Led Zeppelin and the blues and rock n’ roll icons who inspired all just mentioned. It was inevitable that this would subsequently come through when this new generation formed their own bands; by the late-60s, Double Vision were making such a noise.

Sadly two of the original members of the band – Pat Woods on drums and Willie Loughrey on vocals, passed away within a few months of each other earlier this year. Bassist Tony McGonagle currently lives in Derry, and guitarist Ian McGowan still lives in Strabane. The ‘Herald’ caught up with Ian recently, as he looked back on those days in Double Vision and also remembered his two former bandmates who passed away.

“Willie was an incredible singer and, believe me, we pushed him to the limit,” remembers Ian. “We would be doing numbers from the likes of Led Zeppelin and doing them in the original key that Robert Plant was singing in. But Willie was able to do it and it couldn’t have been easy, as you’d imagine.

“The same could be said for Pat on the drums, as he was able to match the drum parts of John Bonham, which again, could not have been easy. He was a terrific drummer. With a drummer and lead singer of such calibre, we were onto a winner from the start. They were great men and great friends.”

Before Double Vision, Ian, originally from Donegal Town, played live music in dancehalls with his brothers. He moved to Strabane in 1965 and developed an interest in the blues a year later. The big discovery for Ian was an album called ‘Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton’ , colloquially known as ‘The Beano Album’ (on account of Clapton captured reading the comic on the album cover), which was the debut studio album by the English blues rock band John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. It proved to be the gateway to the formation of Double Vision.

“The late Angelo Vaccaro had a copy of the album on vinyl, which I borrowed and taped,” remembers Ian. “I would still go home to Donegal Town on the weekends back then and practised non-stop along to that album. Then, back in Strabane, I heard that there was a rock group practising in the Jet Club on Main Street. They were called Aftermath, named after the Rolling Stones album. I went to hear them and also played a bit of blues along with them. Pat Woods was on drums and Tony McGonagle was playing lead guitar at that time. Not long after that the three of us met one day in the Back Street in Strabane and agreed to form a band.”

Double Vision first came into being as a threepiece, in keeping with their heroes at the time, Cream. Local businessman Raymond Kirk began to manage the band and could see that they needed a vocalist.

“Initially we resisted because we just wanted to be like Cream,” Ian laughs. “But

Raymond was right and we eventually relented. It was too much work for me doing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and singing at the same time. We auditioned Willie at a gig in Newtownstewart, where he lived, and that was it, we were a fourpiece from then on.”

Having Raymond Kirk as manager was a big factor in the band’s success, according to Ian. “If it wasn’t for Raymond we probably would never had gotten off the ground. He drove us around in the early days, sorted out gigs for us and, at times, even financed us out of his own pocket. He kept things harmonious within the band too: if there were ever any issues within the band, we’d be invited to Raymond’s house and he would sort it out. Even his wife, Lillian, gave us our name, Double Vision,” Ian reveals.

Soon the band were on the road, covering a lot of ground in the North-West and beyond: Strabane, Omagh, including those towns’ secondary schools; The Stardust in Derry, where they were the relief band for about a year and a half, Derry’s Embassy and so on. The band’s residency at The Stardust is still remembered, so much so that it apparently came up in a Derry pub quiz once.

“Who was the relief band in The Stardust ballroom? And some fella in the bar knew the answer!” Ian laughs. “We loved that residency and the audiences seem to like us to a point that some viewed us as a Derry band. But we were very proud to be a Strabane band, and we had a great loyal following from Strabane, so there was no way we were going to be looked on as anything but a Strabane band as far as we were concerned.”

One of the regular venues the band played in Strabane was the Jet Club, which stood on Main Street. It seemed like the ideal venue for the band’s sound and their audience, almost like Strabane’s counter-cultural hub for the late 60s. Local entertainer, the late Tommy Canning, once referred to it as “Strabane’s very own Cavern Club” .

“That was a perfect way of putting it,” agrees Ian. “Even Tony, our bass player, painted the place in all these mad, eccentric colours that were very much in vogue at the time. It was a fantastic place to play, and you got the sense that something was in the air for the generation in attendance that wasn’t there before. Some great bands local acts played there, also great acts from Derry like The Interns and Blues ETC.”

Another rock band from Strabane was active at this time: Revelation. Members included Ken Stevenson on guitar and vocals, William Hamilton on keyboards, Joe Lynch on bass, Sam Connolly on drums and previously, Dessie Reilly. They were the relief band at the Palindrome in Strabane on Saturday nights, where they also got to rehearse.

“I liked them a lot,” says Ian. “They were a very smooth band, neat and tidy with themselves, and neat and tidy musically. They played a lot of melodic soul music, and they were all nice guys too.”

While there was no rivalry as such between the bands, the cafes in Strabane town centre seemed to develop an unspoken following for a particular band, according to Ian. “There was Vaccaro’s, and then there was the Melody Inn and Cassoni’s on the Back Street, which more or less faced each other. The best way to describe it would probably be like Manchester United and Manchester City – you either followed one or you followed the other. Both bands might’ve even played that off each other, even though we were still borrowing equipment off each other and things like that.”

While Double Vision and Revelation were making a name for themselves out on the road, it wasn’t just the Jet Club that would be the stopoff in Strabane. Father Convery was booking live music for dances at St Mary’s Hall just across the bridge. Perhaps the most famous booking was Taste in February of 1968. With Double Vision on the bill as support, Ian fancied using Rory Gallagher’s amplifier.

“I was using a semi-solid Hofner guitar,” he

recalls. “I figured that if I plugged into Rory’s amp I’d be sure to sound just like him. We did OK, but I remember Rory walking on after us, saying ‘how’s it going?’ to the crowd, plugging into his amp and blowing us right off the stage!”

Double Vision continued until 1970. There was pressure to succumb to the showband cover culture of the time, which didn’t sit well with the band as they liked to throw some original material into their set. They stuck it out for a while but eventually it just wasn’t the same buzz for Ian. “It just went against the grain for me,” he admits. “It wasn’t too bad for a while but we weren’t writing anything.”

After the band called it a day, Tony joined another band and Willie went on to front The Playboys before establishing his famous Rock Stewart stage persona, which proved hugely popular through the 70s and 80s. Pat travelled to England and played in the club scene there for a number of years. Meanwhile, Ian briefly formed a second phase of Double Vision, which saw them share the stage with the likes of Fairport

Convention and Horslips.

As for Revelation, things began to wind down for them around the same time. “They were playing in Dungiven and The Polka-dots heard them,” Ian recalls. “They needed a keyboard player and William Hamilton joined up. They were down to a three-piece for a while, and then Maurice Hamilton joined them. But what broke-up them up eventually was Ken going to university in England.”

While Double Vision and Revelation began to wind down, their various members would continue to play live music in different acts. However, both bands definitely helped to instigate something in Strabane that is still fondly remembered and inspired others to follow in a similar path.

As Ian concludes, “that really was the beginning of the group scene, as in three-piece, four-piece rock, blues and soul bands. It was something that continued in Strabane right through the seventies to the 80s, 90s and hopefully to the present day and future.”

into

Convention and AsforRevelationthingsbegantowinddownfor

Willie Loughrey

Pat Woods

Tony McGonagle

Ian McGowan at home in Strabane with a framed poster from that famous night in 68

Sion Swifts

2013s finished off 2022 with a bang, recording two D&D wins from two at Duncreggan. That concludes a brilliant 2022 for the 26-player squad. Special thanks to our sponsor at The Garden Depot

It wasn’t to be for Swifts 08 boys in the Rambo Gillespie Cup Final, as they were beaten 2-0 by a strong Oxford team James Moore was presented with the Man of the Match trophy, unanimously voted for by the officials.

2011 Sion Swifts Warriors with help from Ryan S and Jamie B from Colts team travelled to Brandywell in the 2nd match of the IFA Development Games against Newbuildings but luck was not on their side.

Our 2011s played their penultimate game of their D&D league league campaign against Newell at Bishopsfield, which saw Swifts come away with a 2-0 victory. Swifts’ goal scorers were Josh O’Donnell and Jayme Lafferty.

2011 Sion Swifts Colts player Kris Friel appeareded and perform at RTE The Late Late Toy Show recently – the most watch tv show on the country. What an amazing experience for you Kris. We are all proud of you.