Major refurbishment is planned for Seaforde hall

Major refurbishment is planned for Seaforde hall

7 May 2014

PLANS to renovate Seaforde Young Farmers’ Hall have received a major boost.

It was confirmed at last week’s annual meeting of the Seaforde and District Community Association that the Down Rural Area Partnership is to provide finance to the village’s Young Farmers’ Club to carry out the work.

Plans to renovate the hall were outlined in the village plan commissioned by the community group and it’s hoped the renovation scheme will get underway shortly.

The community group said the renovation of the hall will be the first of many improvements which will be seen around Seaforde over the coming months and years.

Members were welcomed to last week’s annual meeting by community group chairman, Mr. Malcolm Walker, who gave a brief report of the year’s activities. He also thanked Mr. Mathew Forde and Mr. Alan Chambers for allowing access to their land for organised walks last spring and autumn. The weekly dance class — held in the Young Farmers’ Hall — was also highlighted as one of the very successful activities organised by the village association. Extra road signs, increased community links with other local village committees and the extension of the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme were also highlighted.

Mr. Walker said the recent Easter Fair raised £600 for the local branch of the PIPS suicide prevention charity with the money handed over at the annual meeting to Mrs. Maureen King from the Newcastle and district PIPS branch by Mrs. Margaret Margaret McDowell-Wilcox.

Mrs. King thanked the association for its generous help and outlined the important work the voluntary group does in the local community.

Community association treasurer, Mrs. Alice Forde, gave a brief financial report, with the election of the new committee chaired by Mr. Nicholas McCrickard from the County Down Rural Network. Mr. Walker had indicated he wished to stand down from the committee.

The members of the outgoing committee were individually re-elected, with the addition of Mr. Stephen McKelvey. The various committee office bearers were 

decided at a committee meeting held last night.

The guest speaker at the annual meeting was Victoria Millar, Keeper of Collections at Down County Museum. She gave a very informative illustrated talk on the photographic archive held in Downpatrick museum and then she showed a selection of some old and not so old photographs taken in and around Seaforde.

The photographs prompted much discussion as to the names of some of the characters, and even more hilarity when some of the members of the audience saw images of themselves from years gone by. Several of the photographs prompted stories to be told by family members and this made the evening even more interesting.

Mr. John Knipe thanked Mr. Walker for his contribution to the committee over the past couple of years and thanked everyone for their attendance at the annual meeting, wishing the new committee success in its endeavours.