Events Coming to Aghalee Village Hall! Rock Gig Night We are delighted to announce the return of our fund-raising Rock Gig Night on Saturday 8th October, featuring local band Renegade Kings along with William Redpath and friends. This is another important fund-raising event for the hall and will be a night of fabulous music and craic! Tickets will be available closer to the date from committee and friends of the hall. Please come and enjoy the night while supporting the hall. Craft Fair Following the success of last year’s craft fair, we will be welcoming Trish and friends back again on Saturday 5th November. Come along and buy some fabulous local crafts for your loved ones for Christmas. Christmas Event We are hoping to change the Christmas event slightly this year and Santa will hopefully be returning to his Grotto in the small hall. We are again planning to host the Christmas community event in the main hall Friday 9th Dec/Saturday 10th Dec, Covid regulations permitting. This is another important fund-raising event for the hall and we welcome your support as always. Children’s Cycle Safety Workshop Local Constables Connolly and Wilson attended a Cycle Safety Day at Aghalee Village Hall in August last year. The safety awareness workshop session was provided by the brilliant Road Safe NI. All the children who attended also had their bikes marked by the Crime Prevention Officer. Thanks to PCSP Lisburn who provided refreshments for everyone. The day was a great success and thankfully the rain stayed away so the children could put their new skills into practice. Dog Fouling LCCC/AVH - Eilidh and family pickup - Community champions Further to the many continuing reports of dog fouling throughout the village and in the Playing field area, we have been working with the Council to try and encourage irresponsible dog owners to pick up after their dogs. There has been a poster campaign and local residents have been picking up foul and disposing of it on a weekly basis. There has also been a “paint means poo” campaign where dog foul is highlighted with paint to help people avoid walking in it. There are also complaints of dog foul on the football pitch which affects the players. It is illegal to allow your dog onto the pitch between 1st September until 30th April every year, yet a considerable number of people continue to put their dogs inside the fencing to run free and foul. Please do not allow your dog(s) on to the pitch as the foul gets onto footwear, clothing and skin, including into the mouth or eyes of children, which is potentially very dangerous. For Aghalee Playing Field, the regulations are NO DOGS allowed on the pitch between 1st September and 30th April each year. This means you are NOT ALLOWED to open the gates around the pitch and go in to exercise your dog on the pitch between those dates and if you are seen doing so may be fined up to £1,000. Enforcement officers will be out and about - you have been warned! Walk Aghalee Group has been out litter picking from the tow path and a local family very kindly lifted bags of dog foul from the playing field and are participating in the paint means poo campaign. You may look at this picture and think - what strange looking plants those are. Look a little closer! They aren’t plants but bags of dog foul lifted by a local couple on behalf of the community from around the playing field walk and the play park. They were unable to do the pitch because they ran out of bags. How many bags were lifted? 200! Yes, that’s right 200. Shame on those people who do not lift up after their dogs and thank you very much to Eilidh and Johnny who took time to lift all that. LCCC will be installing a dog station and also will possibly install some CCTV at the playing field. CCTV is unattended and will need constant reviewing so may have limited success. Please - think of others as well as yourself - pick up after your dog and dispose of the foul and bags in a responsible manner. Also remember, if you see someone allowing their dog to foul and not picking it up, you can report them using the info on these posters. We can have loads of people out there volunteering to lift and spray of foul but the only real way to stop it is to report those who don’t pick up. Model Train Exhibition This was a super event held at the hall in July last year and managed by local model railway enthusiast William Redpath last July. More than 150 people came to the hall to see the exhibition and marvel at the workmanship. There was a huge amount of interest shown and it is hoped to hold another exhibition later in 2022. Recognition from Council for Covid Response We were delighted to receive a Certificate of Recognition for our work in setting up the Covid-19 Community Support Hub. When the pandemic hit Northern Ireland last year, we set up a Community Hub to respond to the real and everyday needs of people in Aghalee, Aghagallon and Ballinderry. A huge team of volunteers made themselves available to deliver shopping, prescriptions and other messages, while others were at the end of the phone to speak to people who were lonely and isolated. The certificate is for all those who helped in any way. Thanks also to those funders who grant aided the Covid Hub and helped make it all possible. Pictured are: Fiona Maree, David Honeyford, Pauline Buller, Deputy Mayor Tim Mitchell, Anne Miskelly, Martin Cavanagh, and Gerald Colan O’Leary. Missing from the photo are John Hewitt, David Corbett, Tess Barker, Mark Davidson and Sarah McCambridge. Hall Events for June 2022 Jubilee Tea Party for over 70s Kicking off events this year will be the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Tea Party on Saturday 4th June. The event will be open to 70 over 70s. You can apply or nominate someone by email to – Aghalee.vhall@ btinternet.com, leaving name, address and contact number. The attendee MUST be over 70 years of age and MUST live in Aghalee, as per area supported by our work. We will confirm the places for those who are successful. There will be no charge for this event, supported by and in partnership with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and Aghalee Village Hall. Art Exhibition Hot on the heels of the Platinum Jubilee Tea Party will be the return of the Young at ‘Art Annual Art Exhibition, celebrating the work of those who attend the Southern Regional College Hobby art class under the tutelage of Cherie Craig. This will run from Friday 10th June until Sunday 12th June and entry is free of charge. Paintings will be available to purchase and part of the proceeds will go towards Aghalee Village Hall to help with upkeep. Afternoon Tea On Saturday 11th June Aghalee Village Hall will host the annual Afternoon Tea event at 2pm. This is an important annual fund-raising event for the hall and features a delicious home-made afternoon tea served on beautiful fine china surrounded by the works of art in the art exhibition. Entry is by ticket only and these will be £12. Available from any committee member and by email to - Aghalee.vhall@btinternet.com. After expenses all proceeds go towards the upkeep of the hall so please support us to keep your hall safe and viable. Summer Solstice Walk And finally in June, we host the Summer Solstice Walk on Saturday 25th. We meet at the hall at 6am and walk through the village and along the towpath to the Broadwater, where tea and coffee will be available. Then back to the hall for a cooked breakfast for those who wish. Entry to the walk is by donation which will go towards the upkeep of the hall and a cooked breakfast will cost an additional £3. Come and join us, set yourself up for the day with an early morning walk among friends. Both dogs and children are welcome. Dogs MUST be kept on a lead and under control at all times and any fouling MUST be lifted and disposed of appropriately. Children must be kept safe and under control, especially when close to water on the towpath. Further details about all of the above will be posted on our website, notice boards and Facebook page. Front Wall and Car Park Well finally the car park drainage problem has been sorted out - and it’s only taken since 2010 to do this! It has taken this long for AVH to save up the funds and to obtain supporting funding from The Foyle Foundation and from The Co-Op Community Fund. This March, South West Antrim Construction laid new pipe-work to drain into the approved DfI/Rivers Agency systems. We had hoped to carry out this work during the Village Renewal works which have temporarily been put on hold due to the pandemic, but decided to go ahead with it while the hall was closed. Phase II of part one of the Village Renewal plans have been started, with work commencing at the Village Hall front wall. The block structure has been demolished and two large beds prepared. An Estate-type fence has been installed and 4 trees, along with beech hedging planted. The hall car park resurfacing was completed before the end of March 2022 and looks fantastic. We have been awarded a grant of £10,000 by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council as a Community Facilities Grant, which we will add to our savings to complete this work. Ukraine Collections In late February Russia started their invasion of Ukraine, fighting and bombing many towns and displacing many Ukrainian people. Local people in Northern Ireland including many in Aghalee wanted to help as much as they could and local couple Paul and Avril Simcox volunteered to co-ordinate donations given by villagers to others who would transport them forward to those who were in need. They ended up delivering 7 car loads which is pretty incredible. Thank you both. 100 Years of Northern Ireland In September we celebrated 100 years of Northern Ireland with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council officers came to Aghalee Playing Fields where seven trees were planted as part of the NI Centenary Programme! First Minister Paul Givan was in attendance and commented: “Much thought and effort has gone into a diverse and inclusive programme which encapsulates many themes and age ranges and I commend the council for their foresight.” He was joined by Mayor Alderman Stephen Martin , Chair of the NI Centenary Working Group Councillor Scott Carson, Alderman James Tinsley and Councillor Thomas Beckett. Chairman of Aghalee Village Hall committee Lewis Trevithick and local residents Amanda McGrath and Eilidh Duncan are delighted with the new additions. 100 Red Twigged Lime trees have been planted across Lisburn & Castlereagh in nine different parks all adding to our green spaces as part of the Council’s commitment to our local environment and wider biodiversity. Village Renewal Phase II - Part 1 - AVH and update Part 2 Phase II (Part a - traffic calming) of the Village renewal had been proving quite difficult to achieve, with some difficulties between DfI, Planning and Consultants due to the position and sight lines of the roads in and around the village. It was hoped all differences could be ironed out and plans realised before winter 2021. The good news in December 2021 was that the revised plans had been approved. LCCC Economic Development Department hopes to have the funds mid 2022 to complete the project. Mervyn and Marty’s Christmas Lights Appeal Mervyn and Marty Ross light up their house every year to raise funds for different charities and this year they supported Air Ambulance Northern Ireland and Perinatal Trust Fund Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, giving each a cheque for £3,800. People come from far and wide to see the lights and leave donations. Thank you all, especially M&M for their kindness and dedication. Marty and Mervyn were invited to The Lord Mayor of Lisburn’s Parlour in recognition of their tremendous work putting on Marty’s Lights for Charities in Aghalee. They met the Mayor Stephen Martin and had Tea and scones and a chat. They were presented with a Tipperary Crystal Clock also an engraved Coat of Arms Plaque for the wall. Marty and Mervyn were honoured to be invited and on behalf of everyone who supports them each year they have accepted these fantastic kind gifts. Speeding through the village In October we were asked by PCSP Lisburn to ask local residents where to re-site the Speed Indicator Device, which had originally be put at the bridge on Soldierstown Road just before the village. The results were collected and a comprehensive report created and sent to PSCP. The object of this is to make drivers aware of the speed they are travelling at as they come into the main part of the village, where there are pedestrians and other vulnerable road users around. The recommendation was the SID should be placed on the Lurgan Road somewhere between the Wildflower area and the Village Hall as this is where speeding is perceived to be at its worst through the village. Despite this consultation and recommendation, the authorities decided to place the SID on Lurgan Road at the Car Wash, where people generally slow down anyway because of the shops and facilities. New Group Great news! In April, just after Easter we welcomed Bernie Walsh Weightloss Support to the hall. Anyone interested please be sure to email Bernie to the address shown to secure your place. AGM 2022 - Reporting on 2021 Victoria Jackson, Community Services Development Officer of LCCC attended the AGM held on TUESDAY 15th MARCH 2022 AT 7.30PM IN THE PAUL GREEN HALL to oversee proceedings. Also attending was Cllr Thomas Beckett, committee members and members of the public. The Vice Chairman, Matt Hull welcomed everyone to the 2022 AGM of Aghalee Village Hall. He explained he was Chairing the meeting due to the Chairman suffering bereavement. Heartfelt condolences were expressed to the Trevithick family on the recent loss of their son, Ian. Chairman’s report 2021 With Covid-19 still very much in evidence throughout Northern Ireland, 2021 has been another tricky year for Aghalee Village Hall. Despite this, we have managed to pull through quite well, hosting a range of activities for the local community and with our regular users now mostly returned. Due to the Covid situation in Northern Ireland over the winter of 2020/21, the hall was closed again between November 2020 and May 2021. At Easter 2021 the Covid Community Hub and Food-bank finally closed, with the few remaining families being transferred to either Lisburn or Moira Food-banks. In July we held our first public event for some time. This was a model train exhibition and was a huge success. Our next was a Craft Fair in November which again was a great success. It was lovely to have people back in the hall at community events and we hope in 2022 to reinstate many of the annual community events. Our Arts Programme started in September and is proving to be a great success with small classes of people learning new skills and enjoying meeting friends again. We were very pleased to be able to support the work of the Surgery which held Covid vaccination clinics at the hall and we thank the regular user groups who gave up their days to assist. We carried out some maintenance - we replaced fencing and finally were able to improve the car park drainage. It is hoped we can complete this project with resurfacing this month. The front wall was replaced under the Village Renewal Scheme by the much better arrangement you see this evening. We are now almost back to normal activity. We continue to plan for courses, classes and programmes and will be looking at succession planning to explore how we can encourage some younger members of the community to come on board to start to take over the work of the hall. Looking back on 2021, at first it seemed like a very quiet year when we were just get muddling through. In fact, when you look at the detailed annual report at of the activities we carried out; we achieved a lot despite Covid difficulties. I am very proud to be part of Aghalee Village Hall and thank all of the Committee members who have worked so hard to enable us to continue our work. I must also thank all the funders listed in the Annual Report who continue to support our work and especially wish to thank Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, which has continued to give us so much support through their range of programmes this year and who have also supported us with sound advice from their various officers. In 2023 Aghalee Village Hall will celebrate 90 year of unbroken community service and we look forward to many more years of working on your behalf. Lewis Trevithick January 2022 Treasurer’s report for y/e 31/12/21 On your seats you will have a copy of the accounts to year end December 2021. In accordance with current charity legislation, these have been given an unqualified (clean) report issued by Daly Park & Company Ltd. Due to the Covid situation in NI over the winter of 2020/21, the hall was again closed from November 2020 until May 2021. Fundraising and Grants We had no opportunity to fundraise through our normal methods this year and so launched another appeal, raising over £1,000. We are very grateful for these donations so freely given by the community and for these GoFundMe campaigns managed by committee member Fiona Maree. We have also been very fortunate in attracting a number of grants to help us with our work. Add to this, total donations of £1,695 and HMRC Gift Aid of £1,222.44 and that made a grand total of £40,437.44. We offer a huge thank you to everyone in the local community who has supported us with donations, to Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council who continue to give us so much support through their various programmes and to all the other Trusts and Agencies who have given us funding this year. Despite a year which saw the hall closed for some time again, rental income has finally started to pick up; however it has fluctuated wildly at times and some users have not returned - full details in the accounts. Income for the year increased on the previous year to £56,798 (2020 - £45,854). The main reason for this increase was the additional grants received in relation to restricted activities. Expenditure for the year has also increased, to £49,796, (2020 - £37,609). Direct costs on the provision of the hall/activities stayed in line with the level of income received and totalled £45,671 or 92% (89% in 2020). This includes cleaning wages, tutor fees, rates, insurance, light & heat, repairs, programme costs & subscriptions. 92% spend on direct projects is excellent value for money and emphasises the valuable work we continue to carry out on behalf of our local community. This is a significant increase of 3% on the 2020 figures. Admin costs made up the remainder of £4,125 (8%). General admin expenses, bank fees, professional fees and are down 7% from 2020. Surplus for the year is £7,002 as there is still approximately £15,000 of grant income received that crossed over and will be spent in 2022. This surplus has been reflected in our cash reserves which have increased from £62k to approx. £68k at year end. Don’t get excited, we have to contribute approximately £7,000 towards the car park, and unknown amounts towards painting, new curtains and other maintenance items. Due to the ageing process, many of the maintenance committee are now unable to carry out minor jobs and we have to pay for these items to be carried out. For the future and given world conditions regarding rising energy costs, rent review will have to be one of the first items at the next committee meeting. The last review was in 2014. We will also need to try and bring in some more regular activities and encourage all users back. So, despite another tricky year, the Village Hall continues to be in a strong and secure financial position for the next twelve months. In conclusion, The Treasurer asked V. Jackson to please thank Yvonne Burke and those in Economic Development, LCCC for all they have done to further the hall and the Village Renewal Project work; we really appreciate all they have done for us. They were able to add painting of all external walls on to the village hall frontage work, which was unexpected and very welcome. There were no matters arising and acceptance of the Accounts was proposed by Derek Blakely and seconded by Fernando Gutierrez. The accounts and annual report were subsequently submitted as required to the Charity Commission Northern Ireland Other Thomas Beckett congratulated the Village Hall personnel on the excellent work they carry out, and he noted the quality of grant applications that the Grants Officer submits to the Council. He drew attention to the fact that grant applications are increasing and the money available has to be spread further. He wished the Village Hall the very best for the incoming year. The Vice Chairman proposed thanks to Pauline Buller in recognition for her hard work and dedication to the work of the Village Hall throughout the year. D Twigg wished to record the Committee’s thanks for the enormous efforts of K Greer, a Committee member for 25+years. Grants 2022 Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Covid Recovery Fund - £4,500 towards Zoom classes Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council
 Jubilee Fund - £500 towards a Jubilee celebration Nationwide Foundation - £5,000 towards core costs The Foyle Foundation - £5,000 towards core costs Dept for Communities - £11,700 towards Covid recovery over years 2019-2021 We continue to apply for funding to carry out our programmes and work. Updating of Policies and Procedures Over the summer AVH policies and procedures were revisited and updated as required. All changes were agreed and adopted and are available on our website - www.aghaleevillagehall.org.uk FOR THE FUTURE… Plans for 2022/23 Short courses and classes Details will be placed on notice-boards, website and Facebook page of seasonal short courses and classes. Succession Planning In 2023 Aghalee Village Hall will celebrate 90 year of community service and we need to discuss how continuation of this might be addressed; sooner rather than later. Of the current committee, two-thirds are 65+ with no new people coming through at the last 4 AGMs. We feel plans must be made to safeguard the future of the hall, if we wish to continue its work. Committee consensus is that we should seek expert advice on how to go about this and also ask Victoria at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council for help. The issue is threefold - that of reviewing current Committee and practices, that of confirming what is required for a healthy and continuing Committee and how to do it, and that of attracting and retaining new volunteers to serve on the Committee. Programmes for 2022/23 Due to the overwhelming success of the 2021/2 Arts based Programme, where all the workshops were fully booked and requests for more exciting activities, plans are being made to seek funding to continue and develop the currently running Arts based programme, along with other projects. HELP… A Safe Space to be Me – Crumlin Hub www.asafespacetobeme.co.uk/crumlin-hub Community Food Bank Registered Food Bank Open Six Days a Week Not means tested If you need any help please contact our dedicated support team Get in touch Phone Us – 02896208284 Email – info@asafespacetobeme.co.uk Other services available Recent Programmes at Aghalee Village Hall Live Here, Love Here Thanks to a grant from Live Here Love Here in 2021, we devised a couple of Giveaways for the community. The first, before Christmas, was a small pack of tulip bulbs, label and pencil. We had some home safety kits available from a previous PCSP safety campaign and we gave these away also. In March 2022, we finished the project with a final giveaway of small packs containing vegetable seeds, flower seeds, labels and pencil and bee bombs, all with cultivation details. This to encourage us all to get out into gardens, courtyards or whatever outside space we have to try and grow something and enjoy outdoors and encourage pollinators. Covid Recovery LCCC, Zoom Classes Thanks to a LCCC Covid Recovery Fund of £4,500 this year we have been able to offer some Zoom courses and to support part of the Arts Based Programme. The courses were Chi Me, Wellness and Watercolour Painting, including the equipment to get the painting course started. Community Planting In October we had a number of volunteers planting at the Millennium Gardens and Coronation Gardens to repeat the performance of 2020. It was great to see so many out to help. Thanks to, Ian & Josh, Mark, Jane & Katie, Ken, Pat, John, Chris & Pauline, Betty & Stephen and Kerry & Fernando. The work was supported this year with a grant from Live Here, Love Here and additional support from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. Aghalee Village Hall Arts Based Programme From September 2021 we held a series of workshops and classes/courses loosely based on the Arts. We planned to host the like of; Jewellery making for all ages and abilities, Clay and pottery work for all ages and abilities, Wet & dry felting, Junk Art workshops, Traditional sewing skills workshops for beginners and more advanced, Woodworking - learning basic skills, advanced classes and creation of a wooden spoon workshop, Local history, Mosaic work, Willow work, Printmaking and Children’s seasonal crafts. We felt this was a wide and varied range of activities from which we can offer good quality tutoring to the local community from which they will achieve a real range of skills and expertise, perhaps also learning how talented some of you will be at the different activities. All terms of the programme have been a huge success with almost all workshops and courses being fully subscribed. Between September 2021 and June 2022 we will have hosted 46 workshops and 6 courses, treating 500+ local residents. We have run activities for children, adults and those with additional needs. The programme has been made possible and costs to each workshop and course subsidised by a generous grant of £9,500 from Awards For All, with the balance made up by Aghalee Village Hall. The 2022 committee Officers Chairman – Lewis Trevithick Vice - Chairman – Matthew Hull Treasurer – Christopher Buller Secretary – Pauline Buller Club Representatives Aghalee Taekwondo: Susan McCavigan and Michael Beacham Art Class: Lewis Trevithick Ballet Class: 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 Wag & Bone Class: Suzanne Cochrane and Margaret Agnew Public Representatives David Twigg, Matt Hull, Fernando Gutierrez, Chris Buller, Walter Robertson, Andrea Huff. 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 2022 AgeNI WEDNESDAYS in the Main Hall – 10.00am – 3.00pm (Over 65) – Contact: Gillian Thompson Manager - Contact: 07733 912 876 Gillian.Thompson@ageni.org Aghalee Taekwondo Club MONDAYS - in the Main Hall – 6.15pm – 7.45pm (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 Senior Badminton Monday evenings and Thursday evenings 8-late. Contact: Text or call Bobbie Hamill on 07919 123 027 or Derek Blakely on 07791 267 636. Book Club For now - Virtual book Club online. Contact: Clare Ward 028 9265 0377 Jeanne Cree Ballet School THURSDAYS & SATURDAYS in Main Hall - Children accepted from 3 years. Contact: Jeanne Cree 028 9265 2447 Needlecraft Group For now not meeting. Southern Regional College - Hobby Art FRIDAYS in the Main Hall. 10.00am to 12.30pm. 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. Wag and Bone Club Dog Training WEDNESDAY & FRIDAYS in the Main Hall – 7.00PM – 11.30pm Contact Margaret Agnew 028 9265 1107. 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 or 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 Newsletter Edited by Fiona Maree and Pauline Buller, designed and produced by ru5k.com