Group News

Updates and information from some of the Groups in the Hall this year. AgeNI Aghalee Group

Thanks to grants from The Honourable The Irish Society, Telecommunity and The Halifax Foundation NI, AgeNI Aghalee are enjoying some craft classes this term. Here they were making pebble art with Sarah Gordon tutoring.

AgeNI – Aghalee Group received funding through CFNI – Older People’s Fund to give each member a food parcel once a month for 15 months. This will make a big difference to each of them so they won’t have to worry about eating or heating.

In October The Beeches Nursery Unit brought some items from their harvest festival to AgeNI.

Weight Loss Support

The Aghalee group is going really well with a total of over 34+ stones in total lost this term!

One lady reached her target weight this course having lost a total of 4stones in 26 weeks, attending Aghalee for 2 terms and Glenavy classes in between times. If you need motivation to join WLS, maybe that will be enough to get you there. Depending on numbers applying, there may be another course starting in January 2023, so watch the pages for information.

wlswithbernie@gmail.com

Aghalee Taekwondo Club

Aghalee Taekwondo Club has been active since 2012. The club started out as a kids club but is now an all inclusive club for anyone wanting to improve themselves.

The club has given many young people in the area much more confidence in life and helps our young local people, by means of healthy recreation, to develop their capabilities and fulfil their potential as

individuals and members of society. The village hall has also been the venue for various United Taekwondo Association grading exams conducted by master Glen Culbert, 7Dan Kukkiwon

instructor along with various other 5/6Dan Kukkiwon instructors. These gradings allow Taekwondo students throughout Northern Ireland to progress through the belt sequence. Unfortunately, much of the existing safety equipment was really old and ripped or damaged due to use over the years with only a small amount still usable. Sparring shortens the life span of the equipment and this equipment was ten years old and given the pandemic and lack of income, the funds were just not there to replace these items. So this year they applied for funding to replace the equipment and were successful in being awarded £1,539.50 from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council through the ‘Keep the Ball Rolling’ grant, £2,400 from the Jordan Sinnott Foundation Trust and £500 from The Enkalon Foundation. This combined with more than £400 raised through a box at McBee’s, in Lurgan thanks to Carol McBarron, means the club will be able to replace ALL of the damaged equipment. Huge thanks to all of these funders who have made this possible.

Ballet

Pictures from the ballet course held regularly in the hall. From left to right. Orla on pointe working for grade 8. The grade 4 class getting ready for the Christmas coffee morning. And Holly, Bonnie and Holly G in class