From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 27, 2000

From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 27, 2000

27 May 2020

BALLYNAHINCH – Residents at a Ballynahinch housing estate are due to hold talks with a range of key officials this morning in a bid to raise the profile of the area.

People from the Hillcrest Drive area in the town are due to meet with senior officials from the Housing Executive, Down Council and the Department of Environment.

The meeting comes in the wake of recent vandalism attacks in the Windmill Street area which damaged a number of cars, homes and business properties.

Prior to this morning’s meeting, residents met with local councillor Anne McAleenan to discuss their concerns and prepare for the crucial talks with the representatives of the statutory agencies.

Last weekend, the local councillor discussed with residents their concerns and advised them to draw up a strategy and work closely with the various agencies who could provide them with key assistance.

One of the main concerns is an area at the top of Hillcrest Drive which residents would like to see the Department of Environment cleaning up to enhance the image of the area.

In addition, residents are calling for environmental improvements and also believe sealing off the rear of the estate from the lough area could prevent trouble at weekends.

KILLYLEAGH – The impact a young Killyleagh footballer is having on the international soccer stage was praised at Monday night’s meeting of Down Council.

Killyleagh councillor Sam Osborne highlighted the achievements of 20 year-old David Healy who marked his Northern Ireland debut with a brace against Luxembourg and another strike against Malta.

Mr Osborne said the young Manchester United star was a great ambassador for the area and last week received the international personality of the year award at the annual Northern Ireland soccer writers awards sponsored by Guinness.

The local councillor said Healy’s success for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland team was a great boost for the area. 

ARDGLASS – An Ardglass couple are waging a war against hostile waters in an attempt to circumnavigate Ireland for charity.

Rhonda and Vincent Kearney set sail in their 26-foot boat, Invinceable, on Saturday to make their way around Ireland in a bid to raise £10,000 to help buy a new lifeboat.

And while the duo is no stranger to challenge, both sailors admit they face a fearsome feat.

Vincent is a former Red Arrow and a stunt motorcyclist, while his wife, Rhonda, is the former British clay pigeon shooting champion, but nothing, they say, could prepare them for the journey they are now making.

“We only concocted the plan three months ago and thought we had better act quickly before we have time to think about what we are letting ourselves in for,” said Vincent.

“I have been sailing on and off for about 20 years and have owned boats for quite some time, but it will still be extremely difficult, particularly with the dreadful weather forecasts we have been given. As the week progresses, the weather is supposed to get progressively worse,” he added.

“We are stopping every night and are hoping to stay bed and breakfast with a few nights staying on the boats.”

Vincent and Rhonda have been joined by three other boats for their trip, and together they have already raised £9,000 for the lifeboat fund. The money, they have decided, will go towards a new boat for Portrush.

DOWNPATRICK – A final year nursing student from Downpatrick has been honoured in the Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year awards.

Siobhan Artt, a third year Diploma student at Queen’s University, was the only student to receive recognition in this year’s awards. She received a commendation at the Royal College of Nursing’s annual awards event at the Culloden Hotel earlier this month.

When studying for the learning disability module of her course, Siobhan identified there was a  need for a women’s group to provide health advice and information for women with learning disabilities.

Along with two learning disability nurses and a speech therapist, a group was established, and included women aged from their late 30s to late 60s.

PORTAFERRY – As part of the Jubilee Year celebrations, St Mary’s Primary School in Portaferry will be hosting a special Festival of Song this Friday.

St Patrick’s Community Centre, in Portaferry, will be the venue for the event, which will begin at 10am with the choir from St Mary’s opening the show.

Various school choirs from both the Down District and Ards borough will be participating in the event, which is associated with the BBC Music Live festival.

BALLYHORNAN – People from the Ballyhornan area were urged to support their local community association at the group’s first annual general meeting last week.

A small group of residents from the former military hamlet said they are still determined to turn their homeland into a quaint village in spite of minimal public support.

The Ballyhornan and District Community Association has received little local backing since it was set up one year ago, but its committee vowed to continue to work for the benefit of the community when it met last week.

Conceding that the group may not have moved forward in leaps and bounds in its first 12 months, the association’s newly elected chairman, Mr Cliff Shore, said their task was a difficult one.

The main problem, he pointed out, was attracting local people to the group, which was compounded by the lack of a centre for the community since the closure of the post office and local shop.

CROSSGAR – Time is running out for the Crossgar Woodland Trust which still needs to raise £4,000 to complete its community recreation ground.

The Trust is urging local residents, businesses and companies to dig deep and help secure the future of the village’s new ‘green’ area.

Tree planting for the woodland began in March on the basis that the necessary money would be raised in the interim period.

The Trust now wants to put the finishing touches to the site, including fencing, gates, paths and seats, allowing visitors to fully appreciate the entire site.

“We will not be able to provide these final touches if the target is not reached,” said Trust Woodland Officer Mark Edgar. “The existing field will be left as it is.”

Trust Grants Officer, Michelle Baird, added: “Local people have been quite generous so far but unfortunately less than £1,000 has been raised. It would be very sad if we did not achieve the target before the summer.”

TECONNAUGHT – The play has been put into playtime for hundreds of Teconnaught children who cheered the opening of a new recreation ground at the weekend.

After months of fundraising and hard work, locals saw a long held vision spring to life – a safe place to play and make friends.

And to mark the playground’s completion, residents descended on the colourful £36,000 facility for an afternoon of fun and games where even the grown-ups got to join in.

With Cool FM celebrity DJ, Joe Ferguson, leading the entertainment, the Saturday afternoon festivities were upbeat and enthusiastic.

CASTLEWELLAN – An exciting new initiative aimed at helping people become more efficient with their energy needs has been launched in Castlewellan.

The new Energy Efficiency Advice Centre will be based at the town’s Corncrane complex and is the latest initiative from the successful Castlewellan Regeneration Limited.

The service opened its doors last Monday in a bid to combat fuel poverty among families who are wasting up to £160 million per year in Northern Ireland.

The centre has been funded under the European INTERREG II Energy Challenge Programme and by Down Council. It is managed by Mr Paul McAlerny and is aimed at providing a free and independent source of energy efficiency advice to locals in Castlewellan and across the district.