Fun Day & Fireworks

As we head towards this years 12th celebrations Ballyhalbert will be marking the occasion with our Fun Day & Fireworks on the 10th and 11th of July. The Fun Day with Bouncy Castles and plenty of sweets and drinks will be held on the 10th July from 1pm in the car park of Victoria Primary School. As last year we will be having fireworks on the 11th night and also this year we are going green when marking the traditional signal fire and using medival style beacons which should be able to be seen from Scotland! The Beacons will be lit at 10pm in the Harbour car park with our 10 min Fireworks display taking place between 10.45 and 11.00pm, launched from the Harbour wall. Any kids attending can come in fancy dress and the best 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, taking part will win vouchers for Smyths toy shop in Bangor. Fancy dress can be any of any theme not just based on the !2th celebrations, though 200 King Billys would be a sight to behold!! Last year was a bit of an experiment and was a great success. If this year is the same 2009 will see a big carnival event planned for the village to make our 12th the best in Ulster. Take as many pictures on the night as possible and send them to news@communityofballyhalbert.org.uk and we will feature the best on the website.

*BDCA would ask any boats moored at the harbour to either be moved elsewhere or at least to the very back of the harbour away from the Fireworks launch point at the end of the wall.*

Post Office

It is with much regret and frustration that our Post Office is to close and become a 14 hour outreach centre beginning most likely in September, though this is subject to change. Thank you to everyone who supported the fight to save it but it would seem our appeals and Centra owner Robert Caughey's well showcased business arguements did not sway Post Office Management, or the consulation was something they had to do but their minds were already made up. BDCA has not given up just yet and we are continuing to fight against the closure. Any updates on the battle will be placed here.

Challengers Leaders Open Morning

The meeting held on Saturday 12th APRIL brought 3 volunteers out of all the parents in the village which was a pretty poor response to something that will help keep your kids amused and off the streets at least one night a week during the winter months. We will try to restart Challengers again in September on a fortnightly basis with those who kindly came forward, but we desperately require more helpers to keep things running. It would only be for a few hours perhaps only once a month if we had enough volunteers and it's something the kids really want started again asap.

Glastry Tree Planting Day

The first volunteers were on site at 10.30am on a thankfully bright and dry Saturday morning and received some expert advice and a practical demonstration of how to properly plant trees from David Thompson, National Trust Property Manager for South Down, and Chris Woods, Conservation Projects Development Officer for BTCV Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland. The first tree was planted by twins John and Rachael Marcus (3), with help from their mother Debbie and David Thompson. Over Saturday and again on Monday 1000 trees were planted in total including Crab Apple, Silver Birch, Willow, and some Hawthorne for hedging. It is hoped that as it grows the area will help wildlife establish new habitats in the Reserve which already features a great number of diverse species.

"It was great to see children taking part, as they can return in the years to come to see where they left a positive mark on the environment. 2008 is the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Reserve and I look forward to seeing how it will grow over the next 30 years. Ballyhalbert has been ‘off the map’ for a number of years now and it’s through projects like this that the Community Association hopes residents will feel positive about the future of the village, and people will come together to shape that future. My thanks to all who took part and they will be called on again in the future.” , Nick Moore, BDCA Chairman.

More planting is planned for the new season starting in November with an estimated 10,000 trees needed to make a living boarder for the Reserve. New fencing and gateways will be finished in the coming weeks which will complete the Community Association’s first phase of renovation work. The Association would also like to thank Ards Borough Councils Community Safety Partnership for its generous funding towards the project, and especially Bob Wilson for his help and support.