Christmas at Aghalee Village Hall
Our Christmas Event at Aghalee Village Hall is on Thursday 5th December at 7pm In association with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council.
Join us for refreshments, entertainment and the countdown to the lighting of the Christmas Tree, featuring choirs from local schools and Toby Pine Cone checking who’s on the nice or naughty list. Everyone very welcome! Free Entry Donations welcome.
Aghalee Village Hall - One of the last remaining Carnegie halls in Ireland
Rock Choir
Rock Choir NI event on Sunday 17th November 3.00 - 4.30 (£5 entry) - donation after expenses to Dementia NI. Pay at the door.
Craft Fair
A Very successful Christmas Craft Fair was held on Saturday 2nd November 10.30 - 2.30. Local artist, Trish Rogers once again hosted the annual Christmas craft fair at the hall. AVH Secretary Pauline and her granddaughter Abigail aged 9 took a table at the fair and both made a donation out of sales to AVH.
De-stash event
Our first crafters supply selling event was held by Nifty Needles on Saturday 29th June with tea available in the PG Hall. This was a great day and donations for tea totalled £130. Nifty Needles is a company run by Nancy Moreland, who teaches many of the needlecraft workshops held at the Village Hall.
Rock and Pop Night
Saturday 5th October.
The Village Hall was once again the venue for the annual Rock and Pop gig night on Saturday 5th October. The audience was entertained by Dazed and The Renegade Kings, both now regular acts, as well as three acts performing for the first time. All performers appeared free of charge with takings going to support the Village Hall.
Dazed opened the evening with their blend of 70’s classics, such as Baker Street, Starman and Nights in White Satin. Next up were the newcomers Eddie and Connor playing a mixture of old and new material, followed by Liz, who snag a solo of ‘Torn’ followed by a duet with John of the The Renegade Kings and finally Siobhan who performed two beautiful solo ballads.
Following a very well supported raffle, The Renegade Kings took to the stage to perform hits from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Queen and many more, as well as a
few of their own compositions. (Keep an eye out on social media for their upcoming appearances).
Once again everyone had a great night, a total of £1,000 was raised and hopefully we can do it all again, same time next year.
We received brilliant support from local businesses to the ballot prizes totalling more than £750 and we thank them very much:-
HANNON Transport, Aghalee Taekwondo Club, Classic Kitchens, Aghalee Vehicle Services, Centra Aghalee, Beeches Resource Centre, Aghalee Pharmacy Practice, Trish Rogers Originals, Lynda Hamilton-Harris, Aghalee building & Agricultural Supplies, Relatively Ceramics, Nifty Needles and various committee members. (Hope we’ve left no one out)
Thanks to everyone who made the event possible, the bands and performers who played for free, the sponsors who donated prizes, the committee and band members who organised the event and the public who attended.
by Bob McGlade
Photography
Programme 2024
There were two courses and four workshops due to take place between September and December 2024, finishing off the 2024 Activities programme. Applications opened on 25th August and the response was overwhelming and we had to put on another three workshops to cope with demand. Here are a few pictures from the workshops.
Spooky Haloween Houses from the final childrens’ workshop.
Drummers workshop
GRANTS
Grant of £2,500 received from Hedley Foundation for AgeNI food parcels spread over four months to January 2025.
Grant of £500 received from Enkalon Foundation towards core costs.
Grant £1,000 received from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council towards the Christmas event.
Many thanks to all of these funders who have helped us continue our work.
Applications being made for funding towards salary of a part-time centre manager for the hall.
Strategy Progress
During August and September the committee worked with their Consultant and NICVA to explore and think about different possibilities for the future of the hall.
One of these decisions was to try to secure funding to employ a part-time Centre Manager and one application has been made with additional possibilities for funding being investigated.
The Committee also discussed the difficulty of defining heritage and what this meant with regards to AVH.
The Hall is profitable with a good mix of activities and therefore the past position must help shape the future. We decided to keep our legal status as it currently is, and not to change to becoming an incorporated association, otherwise known as a company limited by guarantee, and to revise the Constitution to better reflect the work being carried out by the hall. We will revise this with help from NICVA and if agreed, will present at an EGM prior to AGM in 2025, with subsequent submission to CCNI.
Hall Maintenance Issues
Painting
Next on the maintenance front is repainting the interior throughout and we are hoping to carry this out in stages over 2025. If any contractors would like to send in a quote, please get in touch.
Water system
After an audit of our plumbing system, we made improvements to help with Legionella compliance – direct mains input along with instant water heaters have now been completed and is working well. The tanks in the roof space have been decommissioned and all the other items from the review and audit sorted out.
Fire Officer Duties
Anne Miskelly will be trained up as Fire Officer, and also to carry out all the various monthly checks at the hall with John Harris to act as Deputy.
Training
We reviewed and updated our Safeguarding policy, which can be seen on our website.
Various members of the committee undertook ‘Safeguarding training for Charity Trustees’ run by Volunteer Now and the committee resolved to train at least two committee member each year to ensure everyone had received suitable training and are up to date with current requirements. All members of the committee have signed the required documents regarding agreement to comply with the Code of Conduct around Young People and the Vulnerable.
Art Exhibition/Afternoon Tea
Fri 20th to 22nd September
The Afternoon Tea raised a wonderful £275 with an additional £80 donation from art sales. A huge ‘Thank you’ to Fiona Maree who made all the food for and managed the entire afternoon tea event, despite being unwell. We had many lovely comments about how good the event was. Thanks also to the Art Group for their generous donation towards funds.
Regular users
Exercise Classes
In March we welcomed Ciara Mulholland, a local lady who runs exercise classes. The taster class proved to be very popular and she is now in the hall every Wednesday evening between 7pm and 8pm, helping local people get fit and exercise to music. We hope the classes will continue to be a regular feature at the hall.
Upholstery
Aghalee group
If I had a hammer….., a tack hammer, I would be off to AVH’s Thursday morning upholstery group, where items large and small are lovingly reupholstered and refurbished. There is lots of laughter and lots of learning too under the expert tutelage of teacher June Acheson.
Needlecraft Club
Needlecraft Club –reopened 8th October only a couple of people turned up on the first night, but we will keep going until December, when we will review. Second Tuesday in the month.
7pm-9pm in the LOFT – everyone welcome.
Yoga
An adult Yoga class was started by Lynn McGarry, and meets on a Wednesday 10am – 12noon and also on a Tuesday morning in the main hall 10am-12noon.
A Children’s and Family Yoga class trialled in June by Beech Brae Wellbeing. Unfortunately, this was not well responded to when it was advertised for September after school, so is no longer going ahead.
Programme 2025
Lottery AwardPeople and Communities
In May, we heard we had been awarded a total of £46,822 over two years for a continuation of the Activities Programme. This is wonderful news and we are deeply indebted to the Lottery for this wonderful award to continue to host the programme in 2025 and 2026.
The 2025 Activities programme is now fully organised, tutors booked and all the dates arranged. Advertising will happen mid November with applications opening 24th November for start January. There will be forty seven workshops and courses over the course of 2025, reaching children, teens, families, SEN
and adults and the cost for this year will be approximately £23,000.
Applications for the 2025 porgramme will open on Sunday 24th November.
Applications will only be accepted by emailing to - aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com and giving your name, contact number and details of the workshops or course you wish to apply for. Names will be collated - first come first served and notifications sent out before the end of December.
Have a look at the timetable and posters on the next 3 pages, pic your prefered workshops and make an application.
Workshops & Courses January 2025 - March 2025
Workshops &
Courses Term 1
What’s On @ Aghalee Village Hall
Regular
AGENI Wednesday 10am - 2.30pm MAIN HALL
AGHALEE BOOK 1st Tuesday in month 8.00pm in LOFT
GROUP 9.30pm LOFT
Hall available for hire for groups or for private functions Please contact the Booking Secretary for information and to viewRuth on 02892 651037.
Tapestry
We finally managed to get our tapestry hung in the hall. This was created over the winter of 2018/19 by local ladies and was part of the Waterways Story Making Festival at that time, celebrating communities who lived and worked along the banks of the Lagan Navigation.
The group from Aghalee met regularly with the group from Aghagallon and both explored their heritage as ‘Lagan communities’. The purpose was to capture images which are a permanent reminder of what we love about the Lagan Navigation and our communities.
The stitchers were from all walks of life, all abilities, genders and ages and the tapestries are a reminder about what’s best about living on this island, our closeness to water, the sights and sounds of the water and most of all, the people who live and work close to it.
October Aurora from Aghalee
Another fabulous display of the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis was seen over the village on October 10th. Caused by solar storms on the Sun that send charged particles into the Earth’s atmosphere. The particles collide with atoms and molecules of different gasses, heating them up and making them glow in different colours. Thanks to all who shared their pictures, a few shown here and on our facebook page.
Kingfisher near the Bridge
The Lagan Canal we all know wraps around the village and is a wonderful natural corridor. A beautiful bit of wildlife which can be seen, usually briefly, around the start of the canal path - at Aghalee heading out from the village towords Moira. Such colour!
Photos courtesy of Bob McGlade
Photo credits (clockwise): Paul Warnock, Jessica Neave, Julia Robinson, Ian Christie, Julie Ann Goron Millar.
Other Village Matters
Playing field changing facility
There have been no further updates about the Council plans for a replacement changing facility at the playing fields. We have requested that the Council be asked to install another bin at the entrance of the football pitches as there is frequently rubbish lying around.
Drain covers
Thanks to committee member Stephen Bann, the noisy manhole cover on Soldierstown Road has been repaired and quietened.
Moira Station
Official planning application for the car park has come through – location near the train station. Information on Translink. co.uk – search ‘Moira Park & Ride’.
Traffic calming
Local Council has applied for planning to install speed ramps at the end of Soldierstown Road in a further attempt to reduce speeding.
Best GP Surgery in Northern Ireland
In September Aghalee GP surgery was awarded the best GP surgery in Northern Ireland. What a well-deserved accolade! Congratulations to all!
Lurgan Train StationInformation Events
Translink have organised two public information events to provide more detail on their plans for the redevelopment of Lurgan train station. Responses from these events will help to finalise a planning application for the redevelopment which should be submitted in the coming months. There will also be a website where responses can be submitted online which will go live on the 11th of November. The public events will take place as follows:
• Wednesday 13th November 2024 - Lurgan Town Hall, 2-4 Union St, Lurgan, BT66 8DY, 1pm-3pm and 4pm-7pm
• Tuesday 19th November 2024 – St. Peter’s GAA Community Sports Hall, 99 Lower North Street, Lurgan, BT67 9AH, 1pm – 3pm and 4pm – 7pm.
Planters
Thanks go as always to Christine Lynn from Down to Earth Gardening who faithfully continues to take care of the planter outside the chip shop, always keeping it looking very good.
Lagan Valley Rural Transport
29 October at 14:07
Connecting People and Connecting Communities is at the heart of what we do here in Lagan Valley Rural Transport.
This could be taking Paul to an appointment, Sandra to meet their family and friends, Jim to get a prescription or Roisin to go shopping. We cover the rural and urban areas of the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council.
So if you live in Lisburn and need to get transport in to the City Centre we can help! If you live in one of the rural areas we can help transport you into the shops in the city centre!
If you, or anyone you know, in the Lagan Valley area would like to access Community Transport, please DM or contact us below to find out more:
Tel:02892 622030, email: admin@lvrt.co.uk
Deaths
Nat Skelton – 7th February, father of committee member Anne Miskelly. Matt McFarland - 5th July, father of committee member Pat McAdams.
Rita Blakely – 6th July, mother of committee member Derek Blakely. Rita was involved in the work of Aghalee Village Hall and helped to run Aghalee Tiny Tots Playgroup in the 1980s. There are many children from the village who will fondly remember being looked after by Rita.
Maureen Taylor – 22nd June & Ernie Taylor – 23rd September, both former badminton players who spent many happy hours at the hall and Maureen was also a former Village Hall committee member.
George Johnston –27th September former Secretary of AVH for ten years 1985 – 1994. Sadly predeceased by his wife Gwen in May.
George & Gwen moved to Aghalee in or around 1979 and took a great interest in matters going on in the village. They both became involved in various ways in the work of the hall. On retirement from business, George was able to spend much more of his time involved with Aghalee Village Hall and during his tenure as Secretary, was instrumental in the great refurbishment of 1985/86. After his retirement from the hall committee, he was often consulted about matters relating and gave of his immense knowledge so willingly to those seeking his help. As recently as a week before his death the current Secretary called in with him to chew over a problem that needed a fresh perspective and some sage advice, which was given in a measured and carefully considered way as always, and more to the point, was so very appropriate.
The 2024 committee Officers
Chairperson: Anne Miskelly
Vice-Chairman: Matthew Hull
Treasurer: Christopher Buller
Secretary: Pauline Buller
Club Representatives
Aghalee Taekwondo: Susan McCavigan and Michael Beacham
Art Club: John Harris
AgeNI: Pauline Buller
Ballinderry Badminton Club: Derek Blakely and Bobbie Hamill
Book Club: Fiona Maree and Kerry Quinn
Needlework Club: Pat McAdams
Upholstery Class: Alison Gawith and Anne Miskelly
Public Representatives
Matt Hull, Chris Buller, Andrea Huff, Stephen Bann, Fernando Gutierrez & Ian Christie.
Ruth Macauley, Booking Secretary agreed to remain with the Committee to fulfil her specialised post without standing as a Committee member.
Caroline Redpath agreed to remain with the Committee to support and act as Safeguarding Officer without standing as a Committee member.
We would like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly through the past number of very difficult months to keep the hall working. From the clubs and class tutors and the regular committee of volunteers who have kept things ticking over, funds coming in and the hall viable, always with a view to the future and how we can continue to be the central hub for the local community.
Aghalee Village Hall Clubs and Organisations Contacts 2024
AgeNI
WEDNESDAYS in the Main Hall –10.00am – 3.00pm (Over 65) –
Contact: Gillian Thompson Manager07733 912 876 Gillian.Thompson@ageni.org
Aghalee Taekwondo Club
TUESDAYS - in the Main Hall – 6.30pm – 8.00pm (Age 7+) THURSDAYS - in the Main Hall – 6.30pm – 8.00pm (Age 7+)
Contact: Michael Beacham – 07548 885 114, or email Michaelb5717478@btinternet.com
AVH Upholstery Classes
Thursday mornings – 9.30am – 12.30pm in the Main Hall. Contact: June Acheson 028 9261 9177
Ballinderry Badminton
Monday evenings 8-late.
Contact: Text or call Bobbie Hamill on 07919 123 027 or Derek Blakely on 07791 267 636.
Book Club
In The Loft – first Tuesday of each month. Contact: Clare Ward 028 9265 0377
Exercise Classes
Wednesday nights main hall 7 to 8pm –
Contact: Ciara on 07780 954731
Needlecraft Group
In The Loft – Second Tuesday of each month. Contact: Pauline Buller 028 9265 1825
Southern Regional College - Hobby Art
In the Paul Green Hall –Mondays 10:15am – 12:15pm.
Contact: Jim Cunningham 07711 981 732 or College on 0300 123 1233.
Southern Regional College - Upholstery Classes
Fridays in the Main Hall. 10.00am to 12.00pm and 12.30pm - 14.30pm. Contact: Jim Cunningham 07711 981 732 or College on 0300 123 1233.
Yoga Classes
Tuesday mornings Main Hall 10.30 to 12.30 –Contact: Lynn on 07808 174467.
Watch this space, notice-boards, website and Facebook page for details of seasonal short courses and classes.
To find e-copies of this newsletter or to contact Aghalee Village Hall: See our Website at www.aghaleevillagehall.org.uk www.issuu.com/aghaleevillagehall or please email: aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com
Postal Address: 6 Lurgan Road, Aghalee, Craigavon, BT67 0DD.
Secretary Pauline Buller 028 9265 1825
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aghaleevillagehall