From the pages of the Down Recorder, March 16, 1994

From the pages of the Down Recorder, March 16, 1994

13 March 2024

ARDGLASS – The fight to save Ardview House residential home from closure took a dramatic twist this week when residents were granted leave to seek a judicial review.

Now the plan to close the local home in a bid to reduce the number of residential beds in the area will be put under the microscope in the High Court.

The campaign to save the home from the Eastern Health Board’s axe has been one of the most active and vociferous ever mounted in the area and the home’s many residents believe they will win their battle on “moral grounds alone”.

The Ardglass home is regarded as the most cost effective facility within the Down and Lisburn Unit and the Province’s Health Minister, Baroness Denton, has already indicated that she is prepared to visit Ardview House within the next few weeks.

Both its future and that of local hospital services are at the top of her agenda at present and she is understood to be very keen to meet the residents at Ardview to listen to their concerns and view the facilities for herself.

CROSSGAR – Moves to put Crossgar firmly on the district’s map are to be spearheaded by a new steering group which was established last week.

And the two key items on its agenda are the provision of a new community facility and a reduction in crime levels in the village.

A public meeting is expected to be called shortly and an open invitation extended to everyone to attend to put forward their views of how the village should progress.

Around 35 people, including senior police chiefs, Down Council officials and Housing Executive representatives, attended a seminar at the War Memorial Hall last Wednesday evening when a number of matters were discussed.

The steering group, which is headed by five local people, including local councillor, Mr Albert Colmer, will be holding another meeting shortly to discuss the way forward for Crossgar.

BALLYNAHINCH – The business community in Ballynahinch has rallied to save the town’s Chamber of Commerce from extinction.

Chamber officials have decided to keep the organisation in operation following a well-attended annual meeting on Wednesday night.

Although the attendance of 25 people was slightly below expectations, business leaders remain confident that the chamber has a future in the town.

The chairman, Mr Graham Smyth, who was re-elected unopposed, said he was optimistic for the future.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “I was slightly disappointed in the attendance but those people who did come offered great encouragement.

“I appreciate there are some people who do n ot have the time to attend meetings. However, we will be making big efforts to recruit new members over the coming weeks and I am confident we can go from strength to strength.”

NEWCASTLE – The sounds of some of the greatest names in jazz – Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane – can be heard drifting along the Main Street in Newcastle on a Wednesday evening as musicians from all over the county gather to play their favourite melodies.

This select group of performers comes together under the guidance of Newcastle trumpeter, Trevor Robinson, to play the classic tunes of their jazz idols in weekly workshop sessions.

Anything up to a dozen musicians and followers of jazz gather in an upstairs room at McGlennon’s Hotel for the informal practice sessions. Each week, there’s bass, drums, sax, keyboards and guitar weaving a complex web of jazz greats.

Started recently on a regular basis, the aim of these sessions is to knit together a pool of musicians that will form the backbone of Newcastle’s very own jazz ensemble. Already the small group has built up a formidable repertoire of tunes, and there is also talk of a weekend-long jazz festival in the near future.

JOBS – Down District could soon have its new centre for the unemployed, it has been confirmed.

The Down Economic Development Agency revealed this week that it is to carry out further investigations after a detailed report on the need for a new centre was discussed in Newcastle.

A sub-committee is to be set up to explore the idea and will be co-ordinated by Down Council’s Economic Development Officer, Mr Liam Higgins.

And top of his agenda will be the need to bring together all the various organisations in the area who have an interest in seeing the new centre established.

Agency chairman, Mr Malachi Curran, said a major part of the area’s economic problem is that one in every four people in Down District is unemployed.

“Of that total, around 1,500 are under 30 and have been on the dole for more than a year,” he explained. “It is extremely important that action is taken to enable these people to obtain skills and lead them back into employment.”

Mr Curran said there is clear evidence that Down District needs a centre for the unemployed and Agency members have already visited a similar facility in Belfast.

NEWCASTLE – Coastguards from all over Northern Ireland converged on Newcastle at the weekend to take part in the search for fourteen missing hang-gliders caught in a storm….but it was only an exercise.

A major search and rescue operation took place around the shores of Dundrum Bay on Saturday for 14 hang-gliders who were caught in a storm.

However, members of the public who saw HM Coastguard vehicles scurrying around the area were quickly reassured that the search was part of a major training weekend held in Newcastle over the weekend.

Over 30 full-time and auxiliary members took part in the event, the centrepiece of which was the Saturday afternoon search carried out under the name, Exercise Hang-Glider.

Members of Newcastle’s Coastguard team, sporting simulated injuries supplied by the town’s St John’s Ambulance Division, acted as casualties for the exercise which took place throughout the coastline area.

In addition to Exercise Hang-Glider, the weekend included night time navigation, radio communications, first aid and resource management.

The event was organised by HM Coastguard Sector Officer Lyall Plant and the co-ordinating officer for Exercise Hang-Glider was Sector Officer Ian Murdock. Much of the on-scene organisation was done by Sector Officer Alan Pritchard, Newcastle Auxiliary-in-Charge Gerry Poland and his Kilkeel counterpart, Gary Nicholas.

The training weekend was officially launched by Northern Ireland’s new chief Coastguard, District Controller, Colin Duncan, paying his first official visit to the Newcastle station.

DOWNPATRICK – There are few families in the area whose lives have not been touched by the plight of those who suffer from cancer.

The disease is the number one killer in the Province and while the fight to find a cure for the terminal illness continues, the work to raise funds to assist with research work also continues unabated.

At the end of this month, the Cancer Research Campaign is scheduled to open its 16th shop in the Province at Downpatrick’s St Patrick’s Avenue and an appeal has this week been made for volunteers and goods.

Cancer Research shops are noted for the quality of the goods which they stock and people across the district are being asked to donate whatever they can to assist with the fundraising effort.