Lord Mayor, Cllr Julie Flaherty and pupils from P3 at Hardy Memorial Primary School in Richhill were getting into the Summer spirit at the launch of the Crazy Summer Schemes at Richhill Recreation Centre.
The schemes will take place from Monday 2 July to Friday 24 August at Richhill, Keady and Tandragee Recreation Centre and from Monday 30 July August to Friday 17 August at the Orchard Leisure Centre.
The schemes are suitable for children and young people aged between 4 to 14 years at Tandragee and Richhill Recreation Centre, 4 to 12 years at Keady Recreation Centre and 8 to 12 years at the Orchard Leisure Centre. They are supervised by qualified staff and will be packed full of fun with a programme of sports, games, arts and crafts, themed events and much more.
Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Julie Flaherty, enjoyed joining participating in the children’s PE session and encourages young people to come along to a scheme near them over the Summer months, she said: It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm & happiness of the children here this afternoon, the Schemes are a wonderful opportunity for children in the borough to come together in a safe environment, develop new friendships and get active in a really fun way”.
Early bird, half day and full day sessions are available at affordable prices with savings for weekly tickets purchased. Any parent interested in their child attending the Summer Schemes is advised to contact their nearest Centre, Keady Recreation Centre 028 3753 8388, Tandragee Recreation Centre 028 3884 1110, Richhill Recreation Centre 028 3887 0718 and the Orchard Leisure Centre 028 3751 5920 as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
More details available online here
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are making a splash with the return of the £1 Junior Swim offer at leisure centres across the borough.
Banbridge Leisure Centre, Cascades Leisure Centre, Craigavon Leisure Centre, Orchard Leisure Centre and Waves Leisure Centre will all be providing the popular deal which allows children and young people living in and around the borough to enjoy a swimming session this summer for just £1.
Speaking at the launch of the scheme at Orchard Leisure Centre, Armagh, Lord Mayor, Councillor Julie Flaherty said: “I’m delighted that the council are once again offering this fantastic opportunity for young people. This great value for money activity is the perfect way to have fun with family and friends and keep fit and active during the summer holidays. The importance of young people being able to swim cannot be underestimated so I fully support the council continuing this excellent incentive.
The £1 Junior Swim will run from the 1 July until 31 August 2018 and is available for anyone under the age of 18. Children under the age of eight are not permitted to use the swimming pool without being accompanied by an adult. Children aged four and under can swim FREE at any of the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council pools all year round.
Swim times and pool opening hours for all participating centres are available online or alternatively contact any of the leisure facilities directly at Banbridge Leisure Centre T: 4062 8800, Cascades Leisure Centre T: 3833 2802, Craigavon Leisure Centre T: 3834 1333, Orchard Leisure Centre T: 3751 5920, Waves Leisure Complex T: 3832 2906.
Congratulations to everyone who took part in ABC’s Sportive!! Here’s the photos of a great day
No man is an island, but the National Trust is offering men and women the chance to live on their own island by putting an historic home on Lough Neagh up for rent. Coney Island (not to be mistaken for its namesakes in Co Down or New York) is a nine-acre island located 1km off the shore at Maghery in Co Armagh. It has been inhabited by humans for nearly 6,000 years with St Patrick, the O’Neill Clan and the 7th Viscount Charlemont having rested their heads there at one time or another. So enamoured with the island was Charlemont that he chose to live there. Building a home in 1895 and being buried here in 1913, inside an ornate stone tower. It is his home, which is currently being refurbished, that is being put up for rent in July. For obvious reasons, it is off the electricity grid. This means the householder will have to learn how to operate a generator and cut their own firewood. And there will be no shortage of that. As part of the renovation works, invasive species, such as sycamore, which self-seeded are being removed. This will create a lough view and fuel the three-bedroom home’s fires. According to Edward Mason of the National Trust, the house will not be for everybody. “If you are in to gaming or watching box-sets this is probably not for you,” he said. “What we are looking for is someone who is caring for nature. Someone who wants to spend time away from the stresses and strains of modern day living. “Someone who is resourceful and can take the elements that will be thrown at them throughout the year.” Despite the sense of being remote, it would be untrue to say that the house offers peace and quiet. The noise comes in the form of beautiful birdsong that is best enjoyed on the forest path between the island’s jetty and the home. The boat journey from the island takes just 10 minutes. Once docked the householder will have access to a shoreside garage. This means they could be in Portadown in half an hour or Belfast in just one hour. Van Morrison famously wrote about jars of mussels and potted herrings in his track about the County Down Coney Island. On Lough Neagh the local delicacy is eel. Like living alone on an island, that is something of an acquired taste. (Source: BBC News)
Congratulations to everyone who participated in yesterdays 10k, 5k and 1k.
The results are in for the Craigavon 10k race!
For the results and times select the race below
5k
10k
Worried about how to keep the kids entertained this summer? Make sure to check out the “What to do for boys and girls” guide now available online.
Jam-packed with activities running from June to September in the Craigavon area, the hugely popular booklet will help you get prepared and organised for the long summer months.
With something for everyone, the booklet includes details on dance academies, judo, cricket, gymnastics, rowing, trampolining, Gaelic games, volleyball, tennis, water sports, soccer, events in the parks, art classes, family fun days and so much more. The fully qualified coaches and leaders, will offer children fun and enjoyable summers schemes as well as the chance to improve their sporting or artistic skills.
Representatives from towns and cities throughout Europe met in Craigavon this week to share ideas on how to encourage active lifestyles in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough.
The visitors from Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Bulgaria were here as part of HEPNESS, a European group made up of cities, sporting organisations and research groups, that aims to create healthy, active cities to improve wellbeing.
One of the goals of the group is to increase physical activity in urban spaces through resources including parks, squares, green commons, streets, rivers, lakes and cultural venues. Working closely with sport, environmental associations, tourism, health and educational organisations as well as private partnerships, the council is developing pilot actions and a framework for monitoring user activity sessions to measure local participation levels in a range of settings. It is hoped that this data will help the council understand how this borough’s activity levels compare to other European cities, which will help direct funding to the areas where it is most needed.
Councillor Declan McAlinden, Chair of the Leisure and Community Services Committee welcomed the visitors; “We are delighted to welcome this European delegation to the area and showcase the wide range of sports projects and activities we have in the borough. It is great to see that we can share learning opportunities with our friends in much bigger cities in Europe.”
Donata Gaspari from the municipality of Vicenza, Italy (European City of Sport 2017) said; “it was inspiring to see a range of activities in practice during this visit. We saw a coaching session from the ‘Everybody Active 2020’ programme and heard about the great work being done through the new Macmillan ‘Move More’ programme. It is shocking to hear that 77% of people living with cancer are not active enough, since physical activity is known to improve recovery rates. ABC is managing to cater for a diverse range of users, successfully bringing physical activity into traditionally less active groups. We hope to take some of this learning back to Italy with us and would like to implement the ‘Girls Active’ project in our city.”
Come along and develop your fitness with other mums and babies in a fun, relaxed and enjoyable environment.
Date: Tuesday’s 5th,12th 19th and 26th of June
Time: 10am – 11am
Venue: Portadown People’s Park
Cost: £1
This class is suitable for all abilities and exercises will be adapted to suit your fitness level.
For further information please contact Ryan McQuillan, Active Recreation Officer on
Email: *protected email* Tel: 07799137291 WEB: www.liveactiveni.co.uk
Forget about the world, unwind and begin your journey to better health with a FREE six week Chi Me programme in the beautiful setting of Lurgan Park
Starting on Friday 8th June from 10am to 11am, the series of Tai Chi influenced exercises will help put a spring in your step as you relax, breathe deeply and perform graceful upper and lower body moves that flow into each other.
Chi Me exercises can help improve muscular strength, balance, co-ordination, flexibility and relaxation – so why not give it a try!
Meeting at the fountain the Chi Me sessions will take place every Friday until 20th July. Please wear flat footwear and comfortable trousers.
Places are limited, so to avoid disappointment please book early by contacting Leanne McShane on 07766740427 or email *protected email*.
Bank Holiday Closures
The following facilities will be CLOSED on Monday 28th May 2018:
- Cascades Leisure Complex
- Waves Leisure Complex
- Ardmore Recreation Centre
- Cathedral Road Recreation Centre
- Keady Recreation Centre
- Tandragee Recreation Centre
- Dromore Community Centre
- Rathfriland Community Centre
- Gilford Community Centre
All Swimming Lessons will run as normal.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused