ISLANDMAGEEC O M M U N I T Y N E W S

AUTUMN 2011

IslandmageeYouth ClubIslandmagee Youth Club meets inIslandmagee Community Centre onFriday evenings 7.30-9pm. This is avaluable facility for the young peopleof the area but if it is to survive there isa need for more people to help run it.

If you can help please contactSarah on 07518 384 857

Christmas Tree Lighting CeremonyThe switching on ceremony for the lighting of Islandmagee’s Christmas Tree will take place on Wednesday (note the change of day) 7th December 2011at 4.30pm. It is hoped that the Mayor will be present to perform this ceremonyand that there will be representatives of the local churches and schools. Santa has been invited to put in an appearance. Everyone welcome!

2011 CommunityChristmas CardsThe 2011 community Christmascards will become available fromlocal retail outlets in the comingweeks. It is reflective ofIslandmagee and radiates aChristmas atmosphere through theuse of pictures from last years snow.The front cover features a picture of Ballytober Lane in the snow. For page two there will be twoeditions. One edition shows a snowscene on Larne Lough. This picturealso appears in edition two togetherwith scenic views of Browns Bay,Portmuck and the Druids Altar. Page three for both editions featuresa faded picture of the QuarterlandsRoad suitable for recording yourpersonal messages on. This card is ideal for sending

to friends and family domiciledoutside the boundaries of “The Island”. Priced at £1.00 it represents good

value for a locally focused card.

Childrens Christmas PartyThe annual Christmas party for children of Primary School age, that is fullyfunded by Islandmagee Community Development Association, will be held in Islandmagee Community Centre on Saturday 10th December 2011.It will take place from 2.00pm to 4.00pm and the Association is engaging aprofessional entertainer for the afternoon to ensure an action packed event.Santa will also visit with gifts for all of the children. Parents will be welcome to stay during the party. Please note: some photographs may be taken for Association records and publicity. If you or your child do not wish to appear in the photographs please let Association Committee members know on the day.

FREE

You can contact the ICDA by email at islandmagee@nacn.org or to our Secretary at 1 Island Village, Islandmagee.

Heating Oil –Spreading the CostWith the current high cost of heatingoil our readers may be interested in afuel savings scheme that has beenintroduced in the area to help spreadthe cost of your refill.

£5 fuel savings stamps can bepurchased at your local Post Office at the SPAR shop at Duffs Corner. Youcan buy as many stamps as often as youwish. When you need oil just give yourfuel savings card to any participatingsupplier to pay or part pay your oil bill.

Savings cards, stamps and a list ofparticipating oil suppliers can beobtained at the above named PostOffice.

Free Home Safety Checks for Older PeopleIn Northern Ireland around 70,000 people are injured in the home each year andmany of these accidents could be prevented. Larne Borough Council is offeringhome safety checks for those over 65 with the aim of maintaining people’sindependence by helping them to stay safe in their home.

Falls in the home are a big problem for older people, especially if they lead to afracture. Recovery will probably include a stay in hospital with an often lengthyrehabilitation process to follow. Another effect is the loss of mobility andconfidence that can occur, limiting independence in the home.

A home safety check is a step that can be taken to help prevent falls or otheraccidents occurring in the first place. The check entails an informal visit, arrangedfor a convenient time, by the home safety officer who can offer advice and answerquestions on safety issues such as preventing falls, poisoning, burns, scalds andCarbon Monoxide poisoning. Home safety equipment may also be provided free ofcharge (subject to availability and eligibility).

Carbon Monoxide(CO) SafetyCarbon monoxide can be given offwhen a solid fuel, oil or gas burningappliance is not working correctly. It cannot be seen and has no taste orsmell. There are warning signs to lookout for including sooting or stainingaround appliances, excessivecondensation in the room where theappliance is installed or a lazy yellow /orange gas flame on cookers or boilersas opposed to a sharp blue flame.

When you inhale CO it starves thebody of oxygen. The symptoms canfeel like other everyday illnesses suchas headaches, dizziness, nausea,collapse, breathlessness and even lossof consciousness. Don’t ignore them if others in the home are displayingsimilar symptoms, if you have recentlymoved into your home, if symptomsdisappear when you are out of yourhome but reappear after you return or if the symptoms are seasonal e.g.headaches in the winter when heatingappliances are used more often.

To prevent CO poisoning it isimportant to get chimneys sweptregularly, service heating appliancesannually by a registered engineer and keep air vents unblocked. AudibleCO alarms are a good second line ofdefence if you have a fuel burningappliance of fire in the home.

Girls BrigadeInvites NewMembers1st Islandmagee Girls Brigade hasissued an invitation to new members.The GB meets in 1st IslandmageePresbyterian Church Hall on Mondayevenings. Explorers (3-7 years) 6.15pmto 7.15pm, Juniors (8-10 years),Seniors (11-14 years) and Brigaders(14 -18 years) 7.15pm to 8.45pm. For further details contact ClaireRush at clairerush@btinternet.com

The HubIn the helter skelter of modern lifewouldn’t it be great to find a placewhere you know you could have timeto talk about things that really matterto you.

The HUB is designed to be thatkind of place for the wholecommunity in Islandmagee.

Run by 1st IslandmageePresbyterian Church it is open onWednesdays in Islandmagee FootballClub 2-4pm and 7-9pm. Expect tofind a warm welcome, a cup of teaand a listening ear.

Free ElectricBlanket TestingFriday 14th October 2011 atLarne Tourist Information CentreWith the current high cost of heatingAs the temperatures drop people maybe getting their electric blanket outready for Winter. However, many ofthese blankets could be an accidentwaiting to happen as faulty or damagedblankets can start an electrical fire. Lastyear 870 of the 1,190 blankets testedacross Northern Ireland were found tobe unsafe!

Blankets can be taken to LarneTourist Information Centre on Friday14th October between the hours of10am and 4pm where a qualifiedelectrician will be able to carry out thenecessary checks, free of charge.If you are unable to get to the event inperson please call your home safetyofficer on 2827 2313 before 3pm onTuesday 13th October to arrange foryour blanket to be taken for testing. A range of useful information will beavailable at the event includingelectrical safety, energy efficiency and home safety.

There will be other events inCarrickfergus Town Hall on Monday17th October (call 028 9335 8000 formore information) and at Carnloughon Friday 28th October.

Community EnergyAwareness WorkshopBe An EnergyChampionALL AGE S WELCOME –HOSTED BY THE HUBThis event will be held at IslandmageeFootball Club on Wednesday 12thOctober at 2.00pm. It will featureenergy efficiency information andincludes fun, quizzes and games for all ages. Refreshments will be served.

If you want to know more abouthow to save energy, grants forinsulation, making sense of your fuelbills, how to set your central heatingprogrammer or who to contact for abenefit check update then come along.

If you want more informationprior to this event then contactStephanie, Pamela or Paul at NEANI on 028 9023 9909.

BALLYSTRUDDERP O S T O F F I C E

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BOARDING KENNELS & CATTERYPet Grooming Services Available

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HARDWARE & HOUSEHOLDNEWS & MAGS • STATIONERY • CAR CARE

EAST ANTRIMFUELS

B.C.S.

Call 9337 2923

Plumbing & HeatingYOUR LOCAL

HEATING OIL SUPPLIERTEL. 028 9338 2990MOB. 078 5005 0078

Become a RainbowIt is hoped to set up a Rainbow Groupfor girls aged 4 to 6 years of age ifenough interest is shown in theproject. The group would meet in2nd. Islandmagee PresbyterianChurch hall on Thursday evenings. To obtain more information or toregister an interest telephone Mandy Blair at 02893 353 885 or07846 310 457 / Hilary Johnston on 07776 278 897.

ISLAND VILLAGE • FREE ESTIMATESOIL FIRED BOILER SERVICING

& EFFICIENC Y TESTING

October Special: 6 piece fry until 12 noon dailyONLY £2.95 inc. Tea or Coffee.

COMPLETE CARRY OUT S ERV I CE AVA I LABLE

Formerly Earls

TWEED FUELS

Islandmagee F.C.

Phone: 9338 2502or 07710 014 309

advertise your localbusiness here!

email ICDA at:islandmagee@nacn.org

New members and visitorswelcome to our family

friendly club.Situated in the heart of

Ballystrudder Village (opposite the Rinkha)

AVAILABLE FOR FUNCTIONS

IslandmageeCommunityResponder GroupA big thank you from IslandmageeCommunity Responder Group toeveryone involved in our recentrecruitment drive. The names ofeveryone who expressed an interest in joining have been passed to St. John for processing. When this is completed the group will be intouch to arrange training. Thank you for your patience – Gerry.

The Action Cancer “Big Bus”to visit Islandmagee.

The Captain and LadyCaptain of Larne Golf Clubhave launched a communitybased initiative to bringAction Cancer’s Big Bus toIslandmagee for a full day onSaturday 26th November2011. This project will befinancially supported byIslandmagee CommunityDevelopment Association.

This £1.5m multi-purpose facility provides a unique state of the artresource centre and is wheelchair accessible. Details of how to book for an appointment at the Bus will be released by Action Cancer at a later date.

The BIG BUS is a large vehicle, some 60ft. long (20m), and offers in the region of 9,000 appointments annually delivering lifesaving and support services to over 200 locations each year. It is the first of its kind in Europe usingsatellite technology to help detect cancer and is the first place in all of Ireland to introduce full field digital mammography. Using this technology femalesbetween 40 to 49 years and over 70 years can receive a mammogram on boardwith results processed within three weeks. Ladies must be “asymptomatic”and have not recently had a mammogram. (Ladies who are eligible for amammogram under the NHS Breast Screening Programme are encouraged to avail of their invitation to attend for breast screening services.)

MOT HEALTH CHECKS are offered to both males and females aged 16 and over and individuals can select from a menu of MOT health checkoptions available to meet their personal needs. Options include cholesterol,blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), facial skin scanner analysis and lungcapacity. Information on self-examination, health and lifestyle is also provided.All of the services provided by Action Cancer are confidential.

Whilst Action Cancer will be publishing details of this event andproviding further details in the coming weeks requests for appointmentson the BIG BUS can be made by telephone to 028 9080 3344.

Last Call!Islandmagee 2011 DVD In past editions of IslandmageeCommunity News we stated ourintention to create a DVD reflectingIslandmagee in 2011. We asked foryour help by providing photos ofevents, activities, places and wildlifetaken throughout the year forinclusion in this DVD and, to date, we have had a good response. The time has come to format thisproduction.

We would ask for any furthermaterial to be forwarded to us ondisk by 20th October by post toICDA Secretary, 1 Island Village,Islandmagee, Larne, BT40 3AL.Make sure that your group /organisation is included.

Dial-A-LiftSouth Antrim Community Transport(SACT) offer a Dial-a-Lift scheme toprovide door to door service forindividuals living in rural areas thatare unable or find it difficult to usepublic transport. The service isavailable Monday to Friday betweenthe hours of 8.00am to 6.00pm subjectto booking and availability SACT nowhas a driver available in theIslandmagee, Whitehead andBallycarry areas.

There is an annual fee to subscribeto the scheme but travel is free forSmartcard holders (chargeable for noncard holders).

Anyone wishing to find out moreabout this service should contacteither SACT office on 02893 342 455or Michael Hale on 07912 344 128.

Islandmagee &Templecorrana Postcard HistoryStuck for a Christmas present? There are still copies of ICDA’s historybook, by Dr. Steve O’Direain andFrancis McHugh available from localretail outlets. This book would makean excellent gift for someone who has not already received a copy. It provides for hours of excellentreading, an authentic insight into thehistory of Islandmagee and is avaluable reference work. Consider itfor your Christmas shopping list.