SAINTFIELD — A local fire chief who plucked a Saintfield woman from her blazing home last weekend is to be recommended for a bravery award.
Graham Crossett rescued the frightened woman, who was trapped in the upstairs of her Listooder Park home after a fire broke out on Saturday morning.
Police probing the early morning attack believe the fire was started deliberately and say the bravery of the local fire officer almost certainly saved the woman’s life.
They have also confirmed that if she had not survived the attack on her two-storey home, they would have launched a murder inquiry.
The modest fire officer who has been branded a hero by people in the Listooder Park area, says he did what anyone else would have done.
When he arrived at the woman’s home she was trapped in her bedroom as choking black smoke engulfed the stairway, preventing her escape.
Mr Crossett, who was the duty officer for the area last weekend, raced to the scene of the blaze ahead of local fire crews and as he did so, a fire officer based in Lisburn talked to the woman on the telephone in a bid to keep her calm and assure her help was on the way.
He said: “I managed to alert some neighbours and one of them was able to get me a ladder which I then climbed up to help lower the woman to safety before she was taken to the Downe Hospital.”
DOWNPATRICK — Highly dangerous illegal fireworks circulating in the area could kill or cause serious injury, Downpatrick’s police chief has warned.
Superintendent Brendan McGuigan, has this week confirmed that teenagers across the district are gaining access to a proliferation of dangerous fireworks, many of which do not meet current safety standards.
The police chief’s warning comes a matter of days after a post box at the Saul Road in Downpatrick was blown apart by a lethal banger, believed to have been imported from Germany.
The device was placed inside the box by three teenagers who were spotted running away and when the banger exploded, large chunks of metal and letters were hurled into the air.
Mr McGuigan confirmed police believe the fireworks are finding their way into the district through a variety of sources and revealed the majority of those being sold do not meet current British safety standards.
BALLYNAHINCH — Regeneration officials in Ballynahinch have this week claimed a major new planning document backs their campaign for the construction of a bypass around the town.
They are convinced the so-called draft issues paper, which has been produced to help formulate the new areas plan for Down District, makes it clear that Ballynahinch has a greater need than Downpatrick for a bypass.
They are still seething at Down Council’s decision to push for by-passes for both towns, a move they believe is tantamount to disaster and will almost certainly result in both schemes never being constructed.
However, the publication of the new planning paper has given them renewed hope because it makes it quiet clear that while a by-pass is not the answer to Downpatrick’s traffic problems, it can make a major contribution to log-jammed streets and endless miles of tail backs in Ballynahinch,
LOUGHINISLAND — Down councillors have called for a meeting with Loughinisland residents to solve a dispute about the village’s play area.
Recently erected goalposts adjacent to Loughview Cottages have proved controversial with some councillors claiming they have the backing of residents and others saying residents are opposed.
At Monday night’s client services committee meeting, Mr Billy Alexander claimed he had received numerous objections to the goalposts.
Mr Alexander said he had been contacted by three families who felt the posts were too close to houses lining the field.
Calling for an immediate consultation regarding the play area, he said the older children were now attracted to the kick about area and this was also bothering residents.
However, Mr Patsy Toman said the family who lived closest to the goal posts were “totally supportive” of them, and he said children in the area would be forced to cross the main road if they were removed.
DUNDRUM — Dundrum could have its own Christmas lights this year. Residents who attended the village committee’s annual meeting last week were told that festive lights could be erected on telegraph poles this Christmas.
Also during the well attended meeting it was revealed the past 12 months have been very successful with a number of important events, including the Millennium Festival in August.
It was also confided that further cross-community events are planned, including a children’s Christmas party.
The village committee’s outgoing chairman, Mrs Frances Flynn, thanked everyone who provided help and sponsorship for the summer event, including Down Council, local business people and Newcastle RUC.
It was also reported that the village’s Thursday’s Club, which is attended by senior citizens, also had a busy year, with various outings. The group also secured funding from a Help the Aged Millennium Award, with the cash used to purchase craft goods.
PORTAFERRY — Portaferry Integrated Primary School will come alive with colour this weekend with the launch of a bright flower festival to mark the official opening of a £160,000 extension.
Fresh floral displays have been carefully chosen to decorate the school this week as a colourful background to celebrations of the brand new extension.
New office accommodate, staff room, storage and resource areas will be officially opened in the school on Monday afternoon by education chiefs from the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education and the South Eastern Education and Library Board, ending months of hard work.
The flower festival, organise with the assistance of the Portaferry Flower club and local florist Monica Galloway, was specially planned to coincide with the opening by school principal Jennifer Smyth.
NEWCASTLE — Celebrity television chef Jenny Bristow will visit Newcastle next week to take part in a fundraising cookery demonstration.
The Slieve Donard Hotel event on November 7 will help raise money for Cancer Research and Multiple Sclerosis.
Jenny, the author of six best selling cookery books, will host the demonstration which will have a distinctly festive flavour.
CROSSGAR – A local man was crowned champion at this week’s 57th annual Northern Ireland Ploughing Championships.
Crossgar’s David Gill fought off stiff competition from across the British Isles to win the title and book a place at the world championships in Denmark next year.
David will be joined in the 48th world championships by runner-up David Wright from Magherafelt.
Last year David finished third in the world championship and is hoping that this year he will go one better.
KILLINCHY — A Killinchy man has been given the means to put his passion for one of the world’s oldest crafts to good use.
Daniel Dorman has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth scholarship worth £4,500 to help him study shipbuilding at the International Boat Building Training College in Lowestoft.
Daniel is no stranger to the seas. Already the 24 year-old has achieved five Royal Yachting Association qualifications.
He spent 18 months cruising the Mediterranean and the seas around North and Central America while working abroad the world’s largest sailing yacht.
Daniel spent time in Antigua restoring a 1939 Hong Kong cutter and in Trinidad restoring a 42-feet yacht built in 1937 before returning to Ireland to carry out general boat repairs. He has also restored his own boat which he sails on Strangford Lough.