16

Richmount Rural Community Association is run entirely by volunteers who receive no payment for their

services. We do this for the good of our community. We always need more volunteers to help us. Do not be afraid

to come forward; every hour you give to your community is precious. We would particularly welcome people to

come in to help us with some new projects such as the photography club, our Yarn & Darn club and of course our

Hay Days Heritage project. We would also need someone to keep our website updated. You do not have to be a

member of the committee to do these things.

In this section we ask you for your feedback on any of the subjects raised in this publication or if you wish further

information .

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………………………………………………………………………...........................................................................

Name :………………………………….Address………………………………….. Tel ……………………………

Email…………………………… Please return to : RRCA, 2 Derrylettiff Rd, Portadown . BT62 1QU

Email: joegar@fsmail.net

The Richmount Archers Club in action. Robert Tiffney and

Thomas Wilson getting ready to shoot their arrows. We have a full

range of archery equipment at the Richmount Centre. Anyone interested

in joining may have 3 free trial sessions after that they must become a

member of the Northern Ireland Field Archers Association which costs

£30 per annum. There are concessions for family membership. For de-

tails on joining the Archery Club please contact Keith Sharpe on

07546272774

A great night’s entertainment from Nandi Jola with her talk on

apartheid . Wilson Magwere who kept everyone in rhythm with

his music , singing and audience participation percussion ses-

sion . Steve Lally gave us his particular brand of story telling and

Norah who joined in the dance routine with Nandi. Pictured L-R :

Steve Lally, Nandi Jola, Wilson Magwere, Norah Jimba and Joe

Garvey , Chairman Richmount Rural Community Association

Photography

Club

There has been a great interest

in this with some 20 people declaring an interest.

What we need now is someone to coordinate this

and get the club set up. Then we can organise

training if needed , go on photo shoots and mount

displays.

Please let us know if you would be willing to get

involved in this. Please complete the form below.

Richmount News

Published by Richmount Rural Community Association

Edition 8

December 2013

Working together for all in our community

In this issue:

Loneless

1

COLOUR for your garden

WWWISHINGISHINGISHING YOUYOUYOU ALLALLALL AAA HAPPYHAPPYHAPPY

CCCHRISTMASHRISTMASHRISTMAS ANDANDAND AAA

plantiful NNNEWEWEW YYYEAREAREAR

baskets & blooms

28a Cannagola Beg Road

Portadown BT62 1RP

Tel: 028 3885 2168

Mob: 077 9531 4801

Richmount Elders : A great success After some 10 weeks of our Richmount Elders project it has exceeded all expectations. We are now almost packed to capacity

with upwards of 50 people attending our Thursday sessions which are open from 11.00 am to 3.30 pm. Morning and

afternoon tea/coffee is provided together with a substantial lunch. These lunches are cooked by our volunteers with the men

and women cooking on alternative weeks. The men are winning hands down in the competition on who can put up the tastiest

dishes ( The editor must declare his bias in this ). The feedback from our elders has been excellent and the quality , variety and

presentation of lunches and entertainment has brought universal praise. This is a tremendous achievement for our Association

and credit must go to our volunteers who give up their time to make

all this happen. More volunteers are welcome as we don’t want to tire

our existing ones out. As well as lunch we have provided a variety of

games and competitions together with talks on depression, keeping

fit, home insulation and music and dance sessions. We have had a

good response for people to volunteer as befrienders and this will be

developed in the New Year with bespoke training provided . Our

Christmas party will be held on Thursday 19 December starting at

11.00am with seasonal food and refreshments , fun and games. Then

at 1.00pm we will have Aidan Taaffe along to provide the music .

The Richmount Elders project is sponsored by the DARD Rural

Challenge Programme The first Richmount Elders session with lunch just

underway. The menu was: Leek and potato soup with

wholemeal rolls. Roast gammon with a honey and

marmalade glaze, cabbage and turnip with mashed and

roast potatoes. Dessert was deep filled apple pie with

custard/ice cream followed by tea/coffee. (The men

prepared this one - of course !! )

NWP sponsoring Christmas party NWP has very kindly offered to sponsor the Christmas

Party for our Richmont Elders . We really appreciate

this. Thank you.

Orchard

Framing Over 30 years experience.

Old & new customers

welcome.

Football Jerseys, watercol-

ours and photographs.

Oil paintings cleaned and

varnished

Wide choice of frames and

mounts available.

No job too big or too small.

Contact Niall Lamph :

07899675172 or

Benny Marley:

07712869587

Честита Коледа

boldog karácsonyt

Linksmų Kalėdų

счастливого Рождества

mutlu Noeller

щасливого Різдва

Richmount Rural

Community Association.

Joe Garvey , Chairman &

editor Richmount News .

John Wilson, Vice chairman &

advertising manager, Geraldine

Garvey, Secretary & sub editor

Richmount News

Isobel Annesley, Treasurer

Committee members:

Victor Hanthorn, Edna Sharpe,

Ruth McFadden,

Keith Sharpe, Letty Houston,

Mark Hall, Joshua Robinson,.

Antas Penchev, Tanya

Myronova

Richmount News: Jayne

Hanthorn ,Current Affairs

Correspondent

Christmas Message

May the spirit of Christmas

bring you peace,

The gladness of Christmas give

you hope,

And the warmth of Christmas

grant you many blessings.

2

Post Office Post Office

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Daily Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Daily

Food to Go Attended Fuel Service on request Food to Go Attended Fuel Service on request

Whipped Ice Cream Hardware Whipped Ice Cream Hardware

Free ATM DVD rentals Free ATM DVD rentals

Passport Photographs Puncture RepairsPassport Photographs Puncture Repairs

Post Office Post Office HHHAPPYAPPYAPPY CCCHRISTMASHRISTMASHRISTMAS TOTOTO ALLALLALL OUROUROUR CUSTOMERSCUSTOMERSCUSTOMERS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Daily Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Daily

Food to Go Attended Fuel Service on request Food to Go Attended Fuel Service on request

Whipped Ice Cream Hardware Whipped Ice Cream Hardware

Free ATM DVD rentals Free ATM DVD rentals

Passport Photographs Puncture RepairsPassport Photographs Puncture Repairs

Derrykeevan,

134 Dungannon Road,

Portadown,

Co. Armagh,

BT62 1LH

Tel: 028 3885 1148

Fax: 02838851579

This Christmas may we extend

the hand of friendship to all in

our community whether they

be of a different faith, culture

or colour.

We are all God’s children.

Trip to the Maiden City On 21 August we had a very memorable trip to the maid-

en city. We had a tour of the Bogside and Free Derry

Corner. We had a very tasty and economical lunch in the

Gasworks Restaurant. Our tour guide for the day was

Adrian Callan whose wealth of knowledge and presenta-

tional skills were outstanding. We had a walk along the city walls whilst

getting the history of the City. We visited the very impressive St Colm’s

Cathedral and we had a conducted tour of the Apprentice Boys Hall spon-

sored by a Craigavon Borough Council’s Community Relations grant .

The lesson from the day was that we found a city which had a turbulent past

but the present communities have found relative harmony in their different

traditions and cultures and have decided to work together for all the

community in the City

Left: Our group progress

along Derry’s Walls . Below:

Can’t take them anywhere.!!

Letty decides to rule the

roost in the Apprentice Boys

Hall while Derek takes a

more relaxed stance with the

Sharpes and Robinsons at his

feet !!

“Christ the Saviour is born to us this day”

15

Church of Ireland Parish of Drumcree Drumcree which means "Ridge

of the Branch" (of Branchy Tree)

may well in days of old have

been a centre for Druid worship.

However it would appear that

Drumcree became a Christian

centre in Celtic times. The

Culdees of Armagh who were

formed in the sixth century to

oversee the worship of the

Cathedral also had responsibility

for Drumcree. When parishes

were formed in the Irish Church

in 1110, the parish of Drumcree

was defined as having sixty-six

townlands. These townlands lie

west of the River Bann, north and

south of the church. Shortly

afterwards the Irish Church came

under the control of the Church

of Rome. That was in 1172 at the

Synod of Cashel. The Papal

Taxation documents of 1296 and

1302 list the Parishes of Kilmore

and Plebs Varren (Ballyoran), the

latter being Drumcree. David

Macralagen was the name of the first recorded Vicar. He died in 1414. It is most likely that the parish church was on the very

site of the present church. It should be mentioned , however, that Kilmore, Co Armagh was the major ecclesiastical centre at that

time.

When the Reformation took place in the mid-sixteenth century, the Irish Church became Protestant like the Church of England

and independent again. Nothing is known about the Reformation years, except that Henry Iharran was appointed Vicar of the

Parishes of Kilmore and Drumcree on 5th January, 1505.A map of 1609 shows that there was a church in ruins in Drumcree

Churchyard. Shortly after the Ulster Plantation in 1610 a church was built on the site of the present church. In the

Parliamentary Return of 1776 it stated that there were 514 Protestant families in the parish. The Rev John Wesley had a great

influence upon the parish and visited it six times between 1769 and 1785. An entry in his diary dated 15th April 1769 describes

his visit to the parish that day. He says that he ''rode to Derryonvil, a little village out of all road, surrounded with bogs ... The

congregation, however, was exceeding large and exceeding lively''. When Portadown began to grow at the beginning of the

nineteenth century, thirteen townlands were separated from Drumcree, to form the Parish of Portadown.

It was decided in 1854 to build a new church at Drumcree which is the present church. The foundation stone was laid on

Ascension Day, Thursday, 17th May, 1855, and that is why the church is dedicated "The Church of the Ascension". The church

stands on almost the site of the previous church. . In 1867 five more townlands were separated from Drumcree to help form the

Parish of Grange O Neilland or Diamond. These townlands are Corglass, Annagora, Ballymakeown, Coharra and Cushenny.

The Church of Ireland had been supported by the State prior to 1870, that is, it was the Established Church. But the Irish Church

Act of 1869 brought the Disestablishment and Disendowment of the Church of Ireland from 1 st January 1871. This meant that

the Church of Ireland lost millions of pounds and a great deal of property. Drumcree lost almost all its 565 acres of Glebe Land.

The Government made some compensation and this, added to the generosity of the laity and clergy kept the Church of Ireland

going.

A winter scene in this painting of Drumcree “Church of the Ascension”

The Richmount Rhymers In the New Year we will be organising a series of cultural

events. This will be examining and nurturing the diverse

cultures in our community together with the opportunity for

amateur dramatics , writing and poetry to come forward . The

project is entitled the Richmount Rhymers. We will examine

our own local dialects and how these are based on a Scotch /

Irish blend of words and phrases. We will also be looking at the

origins of our townland names. Anyone interested in pursuing

any of these type of activities as part of the project please let us

know. At the time of going to press we cannot give details but

we will be getting £10,000 to support this project.

For Best Value and Service come

to LITTERS TYRES

(YOUR LOCAL TYRE SPECIALIST)

Great offers on new tyres - all prices

include wheel balancing

New Tyres fitted and balanced

Puncture repairs

Wheel balancing

MOT car wash

LITTERS TYRES Open 7.30am to 6.00 pm Monday to Saturday

Dungannon Road , Portadown.

14

Interesting Fact

What does M & W

Meats have in

common with the

Lone Ranger of the

early 1950s ?

It is nothing to do

with horses !!

The Parishes of Drumcree

The Roman Catholic Parish of Drumcree This parish would have been coterminous with the original Church of

Ireland parish prior to the beginning of the 19th Century when the

Portadown Parish was formed. When the Catholic church of St John the

Baptist was built in 1783, the Penal Laws which severely curtailed all

other religious denominations, particularly Catholics and Presbyterians,

in favour of the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, were still in

force, although being relaxed.

The church followed a simple 'barn' layout, an architectural style also

favoured by Presbyterians at this time. This is indicative of the caution

felt as religious restrictions began to loosen, yet the fear that they could be reinstated remained. This rural church was built to

accommodate 2000 worshippers, though parish records indicate an average attendance of about 1500 people.

The positioning of the altar on the long wall was a common feature, as it

gave practically everyone in the church a good view of the Mass being

celebrated. This intimate and central element of worship is not found in

larger churches of more traditional design built after the achievement of

Catholic Emancipation in 1829. It was not until the second Vatican

Council that it was decreed that the altar and worship should be central to

the congregation. In this respect the old church at Drumcree was ahead of

its time.

Shortly after the new church of St John the Baptist was built the old

church was removed stone by stone and re-erected at the Ulster Folk

Museum at Cultra. There is an annual visit by the local congregation to

the old church and a service is held there . The Church of St Patrick’s in

William Street was built in 1833 to serve the growing population of

Portadown which was due to the migration from the countryside and the

growth of industry in the town. This is reflected in one of the stained

glass windows in the Church where there is an inscription:

“Pray for factory girls”

Views of the old St John’s Church

relocated at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

The “new church” of St John the Baptist which was built

in 1977 and extensively refurbished in 2004

HHHAPPYAPPYAPPY CCCHRISTMASHRISTMASHRISTMAS TOTOTO ALLALLALL OUROUROUR CUSTOMERSCUSTOMERSCUSTOMERS

3

`Emptiness' of a Christmas alone It is estimated that half a million older peo-

ple in the UK will spend Christmas alone

this year.

"Last Christmas I spent entirely on my own,

with no presents, no phone calls, no visits,

nothing." Madge, a pensioner from Armagh,

told us about the loneliness she feels at

Christmas time.

She said Christmas left her feeling "tearful,

upset, angry and extremely lonely... it's an

emptiness, it's a sadness".

"We're finding more people have less time to

get together with older relatives and older

friends. "People realise that Christmas time is especially one of the worst times to not to be with family,

and yet somehow our busy lives drive out the good intentions we have.

A lot of older people are cared for by their relatives but there are others who are really on their own.

"They don't have many people going in to see them day by day in a normal week, and why should it be

any different at Christmas .Reaching out for the thing we need can be very difficult because it high-

lights the absence of something we've potentially lost, and at points like that people can withdraw.

That can set up a vicious cycle because the more time you have to spend on your own, the more likely

you will be to think and sit and dwell. Noreen, Richhill, said she had spent several Christmasses on her

own. She said: "The first three or four I used to sit and cry and think 'why has everybody got somebody

and I haven't?'

"I've got my radio which is on near enough all the time, and the television. "I read and the day just goes

by. I've accepted it. "My friends go to their families and I think of them having a good time with their

sons and daughters. ."Years ago I used to hope my knight with a white charger would come and carry

me away and make life better for me, but he never appeared”.

Perhaps we can make that one special effort some time in our celebrations to invite them over for a

mince pie and a drink and make them part of everything that is going on.

"Let's make the effort, each one of us, this Christmas."

Beauties do it , bears and

beasts do it. Want to learn

to dance ? We can

organise classes for

ballroom dancing. If you

are interested please fill

in the form on the back

page or ring Ruth on:

07811544198

New Stage and Recording

Equipment for Richmount

Centre

We have just received an offer of a

£10,000 grant for “Cultural Activities”.

This will includes the provision of a stage

and recording equipment for our centre.

We will be encouraging amateur dramat-

ics and cultural pursuits under our new

Richmount Rhymers project .

See page 15 for more details

4

Absolutely Fabulous.!! The floral display at the

Richmount Community Garden. The Malus are

now bearing their yellow fruit before the onset of

winter. The garden is open during daylight hours

and we would welcome people to help us main-

tain and develop our garden. It is there for you to

enjoy and pick the herbs.

Richmount Monthly Craft

Fair It has been proposed that our community hall

could be used to facilitate craft fairs. These would generate

a small income for the Association which can be used to

cover our overhead costs such as heat and lighting and also

support services for older people.

We have an aspiration to get more people involved in arts

and crafts in the area but they will need an outlet for their

products hence the notion of a craft fair.

We would propose to have this initially on a monthly basis

with a table or stall cost of £10 with the fair open from

10.00am to 2.00pm. If you would be interested in taking a

table or stall please complete the form on the back page .

We would also ask you to bring this to the attention of peo-

ple outside the area who may be interested. We will be

holding the first Craft Fair on Saturday 1stFebruary 2014.

OIL CLUB

We are actively pursuing this

but our main problem at the

moment is finding volunteers who are pre-

pared to assist with the administration of an

oil club. If we were to employ people to do

this it would offset any savings that could be

made. We would, therefore , ask for volun-

teers to come forward to help us with this. In

the meantime we have sufficient interest

registered to progress on this and we will be

contacting oil distributors shortly

Over 400 trees to be planted at

the Richmount Centre 420 trees and hedging plants have just been delivered

to the Richmount Centre for planting this winter. The

trees and hedging are all native species and include:

Hawthorn, Hazel, Rowan, Dogwood, Silver Birch and

Wild Cherry. This will provide

excellent screen for the centre as

well as being supportive to local

environment. The Community

Association applied to the

Woodland Trust for the trees

and we were successful in our

application. Ikea is the sponsor

for the project. The planting will

involve some excavation around

the perimeter and back filling

with soil. When this is completed we will be asking for

volunteers to assist with the planting as this is a plant-

ing for the benefit of the local community.

Wild cherry

Computer Classes

The next series of computer classes for

beginners will be starting again in

January 2014. If you are interested

please fill in the form on the back page.

At these classes you will be taught basic

computer techniques and how to access the internet.

Anti Social Behaviour and Vandalism

There have been some reports of some

incidents of anti social behaviour and

vandalism over the past few months in

the Scotch Street area.

Residents are reminded to contact the

police if they see such things

happening. By doing this they can prevent it becoming a

larger problem.

13

We have appointed BNL Productions to make the Video and produce

the book for this project. We have already got some of our Richmount

Elders keen to relate their view of what life was like in the 1950s. It

is important that the role of women and home life is recorded together

with the experiences of children in that era. We are still on the look

out for a hay cart as the restoration of one is an integral part of the

project. We would also wish to collect photographs of the time

period . If you have such photographs these can be scanned and re-

turned to you within a very short time period.

We would also wish to collect articles from the 1950s for an exhibition .

We do not wish to go back further than say 1949 as this is meant to be an

accurate reflection of the 1950s decade.

This a major project with a very large audience so we would ask

the people in our community to participate . If you can help in

anyway please let us know by filling in the form on the back

page.

Richmount Yarn & Darn Club It is whatever you want it to be . A craft work-

shop, a gossiping session ,

a coffee session. You can

sew, paint , do quilting ,

knit, keep fit, chat , read ,

cook or whatever you want

to do in the company of other women. You

can bring in instructors or learn from each

other. You can also avail of health talks . A

sewing machine or art materials can be

provided. It will start onThursday 9 January at

3.30pm. Like the Men’s Shed it will be run on

a not for profit basis and there will be an anti-

bullying policy. Please complete the form on

the back page if you are interested giving us

some ideas of what you would like .

“The Hay Days”—Farming in the 1950 in North Armagh

Jane Ferguson , British Heart

Foundation, completing a

health check on a resident

from Scotch Street. This is part

of a BHF/SHSCT programme.

12

Now taking orders for our own farm

reared, free range bronze turkeys

along with everything else you might

need for your Christmas dinner!!!!

Also a special Christmas dinner deal

available , which includes a 3lb

turkey breast fillet , 2 lb gammon ,

1 lb cocktail sausages and 1 lb

stuffing all for only £20 !

Wishing all our customers a very

Happy Christmas

The Richmount Bulgarian Community . This page was compiled by our committee member,

Atanas Penchev , and highlights our multi cultural society in Richmount. The Community Association’s objective is to

work together for all in the community and it is pleasing to see our Bulgarian community playing a positive role by par-

ticipating and contributing to community life. Copies of this magazine are printed in Bulgarian . This is sponsored by

Craigavon Borough Councils’s Community Relations

We sincerely wish to thank Richmount Community Association for helping us to successfully inte-

grate into the local community. We are grateful for their help in organising events such as music

and social evenings, also for the organising health checks by British Heart Foundation and ESOL

free English language classes.

Delicious cakes, pastries and other traditional

Bulgarian dishes were prepared for our

musical evening in the Richmount Community

Centre. Thanks to all the people who cooked

the dishes, they were really delicious.

The dancers from Bulgarian folk dance club “Cemshir” with

their amazing costumes.

Their dancing to the music evening in the Richmount

Community Centre were wonderful.

We had a great audience of different nationalities at our

musical evening. They joined in dancing and also they

had the opportunity to taste our traditional Bulgarian

cuisine.

With gratitude and thanks to Nicky and Vesi for their great music programe, together

with Brendan Monaghan on Uileann Pipes and Lee Lawson on Highland Bagpipes and

every other

instrument..

Nicky played

the traditional

Bulgarian

Tambura and

Vesi , violin.

5

Loneliness is 'hidden killer' of elderly

We want to raise awareness of the link between loneliness

and poor health. Loneliness is the "hidden killer" of elderly

people. It is reported that lonely older people are at

increased risk of depression, lack of exercise and bad diet. It

has been suggested that almost one in 10 elderly people

suffers from "intense" loneliness.

Whilst people are aware of the emotional problems of

loneliness few recognise the physical damage. Elderly

people can be trapped in their own homes by a lack of

mobility and the loss of family and friends.

Charity groups report that a tenth of elderly people only see their friends or families less than once a month.

A lack of social interaction can make old people more vulnerable to depression and to problems such as

excessive drinking, poor diet and a reduction in exercise.

The campaigners for the elderly say that "loneliness adversely

affects the immune and cardio-vascular systems" and a lack of

social interaction is linked to the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

One report concluded that: “The problems of loneliness and

isolation need to be put on an equal footing with any other con-

dition associated with ageing. Ending loneliness should be part

of the solution to the challenge of reforming care and support.

More than half of people over the age of 75 are living alone -

and about one in 10 says he or she suffers from "intense" lone-

liness. There is a need for informal and formal attempts to tack-

le such loneliness, either through organised befriending schemes or through neighbours helping one

another.

Richmount Befrienders This is part of our Richmount Elders project which has been sponsored by the DARD Rural Challenge Programme. What we are

hoping to alleviate is the social isolation being experienced by some of our older people. Basically what it involves is visiting

some older people having a chat and gossip and keeping them up to date on what is going on in the community. It is not a care

service . We will be organising training for our volunteers on this project. The training will involve safeguarding the older

person and the volunteer together with how and who to report to when a person needs additional help or assistance. It will also

cover all the legal aspects of dealing with vulnerable adults. This training will be organised for January 2014 and will be a one

day session probably from 10.00am to 4.30pm. With lunch provided Volunteers will also need to have an AccessNI check

completed which will be paid for by the Community Association. Volunteers on this scheme will be entitled to out of pocket

expenses such as travelling .

Would you be interested in joining us in

providing this service? It can be as little as one

hour per week and we would not wish to have

our volunteers engaged on this for more than

10/12 hours per month . We believe the quality of

the visits are very important. We would especial-

ly like to welcome men to join us in this service.

Do you know of anyone who would benefit

from this service.? You may have a friend or

relative or a neighbour who may be glad to have

someone call with them. There will be no

intrusion on anyone’s privacy and there will be a

formal introduction policy to ensure the

befriender and the person being befriended are

both happy with each other.

6

Our Richmount Elders

Photos : Top left Mrs Cook and Mrs Milligan.

Above: Mrs Doyle, Mrs Duke, Mrs Kells & Mrs Hunter.

Left: Renee Burgess with Mrs Benson in the background

Top right : Bessie May

What have they been up to ?

Apart from dining they have been :

Playing cards

Karaoke

Hearing about depression through

the ages

Bingo sessions

Music & Dancing

Having a Beetle Drive

Musical quizzes

Solving conundrums

And most of all having FUN !!

The volunteers are taking a rest for 2 weeks over the

festive season so there will be no Elders sessions on

26 December or 2 January .

They will resume on Thursday 9 January.

Thanks to all our funders and sponsors. Without them

and our volunteers these events would not be possible.

11

Richmount Playgroup - A popular choice

The Playgroup is now up to its full complement of 16 children and

proving to be a very popular playgroup. The manager , Lesley Fulton ,

and her play leader, Vicky Cahoon , have extensive experience in their

field and this has borne fruit as reflected by the positive feedback from

parents and of course the most important of all - the children. We hope

to be moving within the next few months to our purpose designed

premises at the Richmount Centre which will be registered to accom-

modate 24 children. So if you have a child becoming 3 from around

February onwards and you would like them to attend the playgroup

register your interest with Lesley Fulton as soon as possible .

Despite having 9 children of the qualifying age we were again

refused funding from the SELB on the grounds that it was deemed that

there was insufficient need in the area. It would appear that the SELB

does not want Richmount be in the equation for providing immediate

pre school places. Parents cannot even register their interest as the

forms do not have Richmount as an option. Do you think this is fair?

However, as we provide a much longer session than most funded places ( Ours is from 9.00am to 1.00pm) parents are

finding it more financially advantageous to send their children to Richmount. We will continue to lobby for free plac-

es but the SELB does not seem to want to recognise that Richmount is a substantial growing village with a young

population. Richmount Playgroup is determined to continue to provide the best service for children at the most eco-

nomical cost to parents . Richmount Playgroup is run by parents for parents . Lesley Fulton can be contacted on

07545637750 . Make your views known on the SELB funding policy on the back page.

Please come to our open night on Thursday 12 December at Richmount Primary School from 7.00pm to 9.00pm.

Our Playgroup is dedicated to learning through constructive play .

The child is the most important aspect of the playgroup.

All children are welcome . We aim to give children the foundation and

opportunity to fulfil their potential when they start primary school.

It is professionally managed with qualified staff. New dedicated premises are in progress to open next year.

We are now taking enrolments for 2014/15 for both the playgroup and preschool year and also for the last

term of 2013/14 Come to our open night : Thursday 12 December 2013 from 7.00 pm to 9.00pm Richmount Primary School, 105 Moy Road,

Portadown . Tel: 07545637750 or email: richmountplay@hotmail.com

Vicky Cahoon and Lesley Fulton with some of

the Playgroup children

NWP to Provide

Christmas Party

for Playgroup

Our local recycling company

on the Moy Road has

confirmed that it will sponsor

both the Playgroup’s and the

Richmount Elders Christmas

Party. Shane Woods, from

NWP said he was very

pleased to support both

groups and was an example

of NWP’s commitment to

working with the Richmont

Community

10

Pictured in the photograph are left to right: Mr Mark Hall Principal,

Sophie Parks, Mrs Maureen Hunter, Hannah Cochrane and Char-

lotte Ruddock

Richmount Primary School receives praise from the Inspectorate

Richmount Primary School has received praise from the Education and Training Inspectorate following an inspection

carried out in September. The report found the quality of the children’s achievements and standards as being very good

with performance in English and Mathematics consistently above the Northern Ireland average.

The exemplary behaviour of the pupils was also noted in the report. It stated that the children take pride in their work and

engage in a range of external activities organised by the school.

The report highlighted that in Numeracy: “The children have a very good understanding of their work across the range of

areas in Mathematics and that by year seven they have very good knowledge and understanding of important concepts

across the mathematics curriculum; they apply their learning in meaningful contexts.” While in Literacy the report

concluded that, “across all key stages, almost all of the children achieve very good standards in Literacy and develop very

good skills consistent with the staff expectations.”

The quality of the provision for children with special needs was described as very good and the report stated that,

“children are identified early through outside agencies, teacher observation and the use of appropriate internal

performance data”. In regard to leadership and management the report went on to say that, “the principal has a clear vision for the

promotion of the children’s aspirations and achievements and he combines effectively his teaching and leadership roles.” This very encouraging report has been welcomed by the school’s Board of Governors .

Twenty six years of service Mrs Maureen Hunter retired from her post as a supervisory

assistant at Richmount Primary School on 29th October 2013

following twenty six years of dedicated service to the school.

Mrs Hunter was presented with gifts and flowers during a

special assembly held on her last day at work. The

governors, staff, pupils and parents of the school wish to

thank her for her hard work over such a lengthy period and

wish her a long and happy retirement.

7

Richmount Apple Fayre

We had a good turnout for our apple fayre

to mark the fourth centenary of Portadown.

We had exhibitions from Richmount

Primary School , displays from the NI

Fruit Growers Association together with

samples of apple juices and ciders from

Armagh Cider Company and Barnhill. We

also had a display of processed fruit from

McNeice Bros and the apple for the

delicious apple crumble was donated by

Davidson’s Foods. Photographed left is the

Mayor with some of the committee and

Victor Hanthorn who was obviously out

pulling some lovely Bramley apples !!!!

Ladies

Keep Fit Right Ladies. This

is your chance to keep fit and shed

those pounds before you indulge

yourself at Christmas. For a trial

period we will have a ladies keep fit

session every Monday evening from

7.00 pm to 9.00 pm. We have a

range of exercise bikes, a rowing

machine , treadmills, multi gym and

exercise mats. We also have table

tennis and pool. There is a TV and

DVD player in the room so if you

wish to bring along a fitness DVD

feel free. For those who want a

break in between sessions a large

screen which also has a home cinema

system. There will be a small charge

to cover the cost of heat and lighting.

For further details please contact

Ruth on 07811544198

Elizabeth Cochrane & Violet Hant-

horn admiring the Aberdeen Cup.

Thanks to Dermot Morgan NIFGA

for supplying all the trophies

8

Political Guide for Tourists to Ireland

By Ed Anderson our North American correspondent

Ireland is an island to the west of Britain but Northern Ireland is just off

the mainland - not the Irish mainland, the British mainland.

The capital of Ireland is Dublin. It has a population of a million

people, all of whom will be shopping in Newry this afternoon.

They travel to Newry because it is in the North, which is not part of

Ireland, but still pay in Euros. Under the Irish constitution, the North used

to be in Ireland, but a successful 30-year campaign of violence for Irish

unity ensured that it is now definitely in the UK. Had the campaign lasted

any longer the North might now be in France.

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. It has a population of half a million, half of whom own houses in Donegal.

Donegal is in the north but not in the North. It is in the South. No, not the south, the South.

There are two parliaments in Ireland. The Dublin parliament is called the Dáil, (pronounced "Doyle"), an Irish word

meaning a place where banks receive taxpayers' money. The one in Belfast is called Stormont, an Anglo-Saxon word

meaning 'placebo', or deliberately ineffective drug.

Their respective jurisdictions are defined by the border, an imaginary line on the map to show fuel launderers where to

dump their chemical waste and bi-products.

Protestants are in favour of the border, which generates millions of pounds in smuggling for Catholics, who are totally

opposed to it. Travel between the two states is complicated because Ireland is the only country in the world with two

M1 motorways. The one in the North goes west to avoid the south and the one in the South goes north to avoid the price

of drink!

We have two types of democracy in Ireland. Dublin democracy works by holding a referendum and then allowing the

government to judge the result. If the government thinks the result is wrong, the referendum is held again. Twice in

recent years the government decided the people's choice was wrong and ordered a new referendum.

Belfast democracy works differently. It has a parliament with no opposition, so the government is always right. This

system generates envy in many world capitals, especially Dublin . Ireland has three economies - Northern, Southern and

black. Only the black economy is in the black. The other two are in the red.

All versions of the IRA claim to be the real IRA but only one of them is the Real IRA.

The North's biggest industry is the production of IRAs. Consequently, we now have the Provisional, Continuity and

Real IRA. The Real IRA is by far the most popular among young graffiti writers, simply because it is the easiest to

spell. I trust this clarifies things and has answered many previously unanswered questions for you.

Trip to Boyne

Centre &

Drogheda 19

September Left: Victor

Hanthorn proclaims

victory in the famous

1690 battle or :“The

battle of the three

kings”. Sorry Victor

you were not related to either James , Louis or

William but they were to each other. A great

day out and very informative . We had an

excellent tour guide in the form of Sean Collins former mayor of Drogheda. The group is outside the Church of

Ireland church in Drogheda which was rebuilt following a fire by the generosity of the people of Drogheda

irrespective of their religious affiliation. This trip was sponsored by PEACE 111 and facilitated by Tides Training who

provided an excellent insight into the famous battle which has affected us all even to this day.

9

Richmount Men’s Shed “Men don’t talk face to face; they talk

shoulder to shoulder” (Golding 2007) So what is so special about a Men’s Shed? Most men have learned from our culture that they don’t talk about feelings and emotions. There has been little

encouragement for men to take an interest in their own health and

well-being. Unlike women, most men are reluctant to talk about

their emotions and that means that they usually don’t ask for help.

Probably because of this many men are less healthy than women,

they drink more, take more risks and they suffer more from

isolation, loneliness and depression.

Good health is based on many factors including feeling good about

yourself, being productive and valuable to your community,

connecting to friends and maintaining an active body and an active

mind. Becoming a member of a Community Men’s Shed gives a

man that safe and busy environment where he can find many of

these things in an atmosphere of friendship. And, importantly,

there is no pressure. Men can just come and have a chat and a

cuppa if that is all they’re looking for.

Members of Men’s Sheds can come from all walks of life – the

bond that unites them is that they are men with time on their hands and they would like something meaningful

to do with that time. Because men don’t often make a fuss about their problems, these problems have

consistently been either ignored or swept under the carpet by both our health system and our modern society.

It’s time for a change and the Men’s Shed movement is a powerful tool in helping men to once again become

valued and valuable members of our community. We believe each group of men should be encouraged and

supported to realise their own potential and to take responsibility and ownership for their own project and its

possibilities. As far as possible each group should retain its own autonomy.

We see the passing on of skills, traditional and new as a key aspect of the work. Each man should see himself

as teacher and a learner in their group. Different men will possess varying degrees of skills professional and

practical which will encourage the community learning possibilities. Each man will bring his own particular

individuality, skills and limitations to the group and should be fully respected and acknowledged. There will be

a clear anti – bullying policy.

There will be an emphasis on informal learning. An atmosphere of ‘doing stuff together’, having fun, creating a

buzz should prevail. “We will

learn from each other”

This is a non profit making pro-

ject , therefore any income

generated by the shed will be

ploughed back into the project

for the benefit of its members.

Richmount Men’s Shed

Initial Session

Thursday 9 January at 3.30

pm at the Richmount Centre ,

2 Derrylettiff Rd.

Come along to find out what

we can do together.

What do we need ?

Is it for you ?

A Men’s Shed in Australia

“It’s not all work ”

Great Range of Quality Cars at Affordable Prices 2001 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2SXi, blue. 70,000 miles £1,450

2005 Skoda Fabia Classic, blue, full MOT . 66,000 miles £1,950

2006 Hyundai Getz Gsi 3d blk, T Blt ser just completed, 80k mls £2,150

2006 Hyundai Amica GS1 , 5dr, black. FSH, 54k miles £2,250

2007 Vauxhall Astra Life, black 5Dr FSH ,62,000mls £3,650

2008 Renault Clio Ext 3dr T Blt ser just completed 86,000 mls £3,750

2006 Ford Fiesta Zetec Climate 1.4D . 1 lady owr FSH 50k mls £3,950

2006 Honda Accord 2.2D ,silver , taxed and Mot’d, 102,000 mls £3,995

2007 Toyota Yaris 1.0 Red. 1 lady owner, Low tax & ins 42k mls £3,995

2010 Ford Ka Style , blue. 48,000 miles. £4,650

2007 Ford Mondeo Edge, grey, Full year’s Mot. 45,000 miles £4,650

2009 Renault Laguna Dyna 2.0D, Black. FSH, 1 owner , 55k mls £4,750

2010 Peugeot 207 S , grey, Full year’s Mot , 48,000miles £4,995

2008 Vauxhall Vectra Sri CDTi 150 , silver, 75,000 miles £ 4,995

2009 Ford Focus 1.8TDCi, silver, 1 owner , FSH . 72,000 mls £5,995