To access our Bi-lingual Advocacy Service or to discuss any other projects which focus on minority ethnic citizens in Ballymena, contact:

Ballymena Inter -Ethnic Forum20 William StreetBALLYMENACo AntrimBT43 6AWTel: 028 2564 3605Email: admin@bief.org.uk

BallymenaSpring 2011 The official newsletter of Ballymena Borough Council

Pre prístup k našej bilinguálnej službe alebo na prediskutovanie akýchkoľvek projektov, ktoré sa zameriavajú na národnostné menšiny v Ballymene prosím kontaktujte:

Ballymena Inter-Ethnic Forum20 William StreetBALLYMENACo AntrimBT43 6AWTel: 028 2564 3605Email: admin@bief.org.uk

Jeśli chcesz skorzystaċ z usług Bilingual Advocacy Service (Dwujęzycznej Służby Rzecznictwa) lub porozmawiaċ o innych przedsięwzięciach/projektach dotyczących mieszkających w Ballymena mniejszości etnicznych, proszę skontaktuj się z

Ballymena Inter-Ethnic Forum20 William StreetBALLYMENACo AntrimBT43 6AWTel: 028 2564 3605Email: admin@bief.org.uk

Pentru a beneficia de serviciul nostru de consultanţă bilingv sau pentru a discuta orice alte proiecte care au in vedere pe cetateţenii de etnii minoritare din Ballymena, ne puteţi contacta la:

Ballymena Inter-Ethnic Forum20 William StreetBALLYMENACo AntrimBT43 6AWTel: 028 2564 3605Email: admin@bief.org.uk

Ballymena Arts Festival 2011 | Mid-Antrim Museum At The Braid | A Shared Space – A Neighbourly Place New Food Recycling Scheme | Active Communities Programme – What’s It All About?

www.ballymena.gov.uk

April 22nd - 20th August: Legends in the Landscape at The Mid-Antrim Museum

April 25th - 26th: Easter Monday and Tuesday at Arthur Cottage & Interpretative Centre, Cullybackey

May 2nd: Hackney Horse Show 2011 at Ballymena Showgrounds

May 27th - 28th: Ballymena Agricultural Show at Ballymena Showgrounds

June 10th: 10 Mile sponsored Ladies Tractor Run – In aid of Cancer Research UK

June 11th: Ballymena Car Fest and Truck Show at Ballee Playing Fields

June 23rd - 25th: Live Music Week at The Braid Ballymena Town Hall

June - September: Town Centre Seven Towers Tours, Every Saturday morning

June 25th: Association of Old Vehicle Clubs (AOVC) Classic Show at Ballymena Showgrounds

June 27th - 1st July: Galgorm Castle Northern Ireland PGA Euro Pro Open at Galgorm Castle Golf Club

UPCOMING EVENTS

A Great Place To Be!

Ballymena A Great Place To Be! | Spring 2011

April 2011Ballymena Arts Festival 2011

Exhibition by Eamonn HigginsDate: 1-30 AprilTimes: 10am-10pm dailyAdmission: FREE

Graduating from Lincoln School of Art in 2003 with BA Hons, Eamonn has worked full-time as a professional artist ever since. Perhaps it’s his upbringing in a farming family, but Eamonn’s use of the material he uses has an honesty of effort and craft which may be hard to find in the digital mediums pursued by his contemporaries. Eamonn treats his welders, gas and plasma cutters like a painter would treat a palette knife.

Mid-Antrim Museum at The Braid

Legends in the Landscape: Myths and Folklore of Mid-Antrim Exhibition Date: 22 April–20 AugustLocation: The Temporary Gallery, Mid-Antrim MuseumOpen: Monday-SaturdayAdmission: Free This exhibition explores some of Mid-Antrim’s most legendary stories and compares them with the recorded history of the sites concerned. The Legends in the Landscape exhibition highlights how legends and folklore form an important part of our local cultural identity. Stories are brought to life through a range of media, including short films and dramatic large-scale graphics, to create an immersive and engaging experience.

Easter Extravaganza: Legends, Traditions & Tales Date: 23 April Location: The Atrium, Mid-Antrim Museum Times: 12 noon–4pmAdmission: Free – just bring your imagination There will be Easter fun and games for all the family. The amazing Armagh Rhymers will be holding performances throughout the afternoon and storyteller Liz Weir will be recounting tales of myths and legends linked to our ’Legends in the Landscape’ exhibition. There will be fun-packed workshops where children will have an opportunity to create puppets, have a go at egg-painting and do a spot of hunting for Easter eggs. Log onto www.thebraid.com or telephone Noreen on 028 2563 5925 for further details.

IN THE LANDSCAPEThe Myths & Folklore of Mid-Antrim

If you thought you knew

your history, it’s time to think again

as you enter a world of

the macabre, the

stupendous and the amazing,

a world of giants, saints & villains.

22 April – 20 August 2011OPEN MONDAY-SATURDAYFREE ADMISSION

Temporary Gallery Mid-Antrim Museum at The Braid1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, T: 028 2565 7161www.thebraid.com

What’s OnGive My Head PeaceDate: Wednesday 13 AprilTimes: 8pmAdmission: £20

After last year’s sell out tour, Northern Ireland’s most dysfunctional family are back. Uncle Andy, Ma, Da, Cal, Dympna, and Billy return to the stage for a wickedly funny brand new show. And joining them is Ulster’s scariest clergyman, the hilarious Pastor Begbie.With a Royal Wedding looming Dympna and Ma reassess their own miserable marriages and Uncle Andy decides it’s time to marry a princess… or indeed any woman, as long as she’s Protestant. And since Gerry Adams has emigrated to the South, Da tries to replace him as the king of West Belfast. Featuring a unique take on the year’s events, up to the minute satire and superb new stand up from Tim McGarry, this is one fun-filled show with guaranteed laughs.

Show contains adult references. Responsibility for allowing under 12s to view lies with the accompanying adult.

Young Conquerors in ConcertDate: Thursday 14 AprilTimes: 7.30pmAdmission: £10

The Annual Young Conquerors Concert will be compered by Jackie Fullerton with additional guest artistes.

Launch of the Cinema @ The BraidAlfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic – Rear WindowDate: Thursday 14 April

New film club featuring seminal classics, independent films and the best of foreign cinema.First night free but by ticket only.Join now by phoning 028 2563 5900 or calling into the Braid Arts Centre, Bridge Street Ballymena.

Braid Real Music Club – Gráinne DuffyDate: Friday 15 AprilTimes: 8pmAdmission: £8 Non Members £5 Members

Gráinne Duffy is a regular at Jazz and Blues festivals in the UK and Ireland. She played three nights at Glastonbury in 2008 and was the voice of BBC2’s

own promotional advertisement, which was recorded in the famous Air Studios under the guidance of Sir George Martin. She plays a mean electric blues guitar, and sings like a long lost relative of BB King or Bonnie Raitt, with classic numbers like ‘Rather Go Blind’ and ‘The Thrill has Gone’ in her repertoire. Other influences include Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. She has already released one highly acclaimed CD ‘Out Of The Dark’, with the eagerly anticipated follow up due for release in March 2011.Support Acts: David Hope and Billy Teare and Kathleen O’Sullivan **Exclusive Meal Deal Offer £20 pp (price includes ticket to Grainne Duffy in concert)**MEAL DEAL WILL BE SERVED FROM 6PM-6:30PM Bring your own bottle - corkage charge £2.50 Pre-booking is essential for the Meal Deal. NUMBERS ARE LIMITED- BOOK THIS OFFER EARLY! Call The Braid Arts Centre Reception to Book (028 2563 5900)

Ballymena Book DayDate: Friday 15 April

A full day for local schools to join in storytelling sessions and swap books with children from other schools in the Borough.Details direct to local schools.

Ballymena A Great Place To Be! | Spring 2011

An Afternoon of Rehearsed ReadingsDate: Saturday 16 AprilTimes: 3pmAdmission: £2

An afternoon of rehearsed readings from plays written by Kate Muldoon and Victoria Gleason.

Braid Comedy ClubDate: Saturday 16 April Times: 8.30pmAdmission: Early Booking £5 On the Door £7

Another riotous night of comedy at the monthly Braid Comedy Club.With a great line up of comedians we’re sure to have you in stitches.Headlining Diarmuid Corr.

An Evening with Ballymena Writers’ GroupDate: Monday 18 AprilTimes: 8pmAdmission: £5

Since its formation in 1992, Ballymena Writers’ Group has gone from strength to strength. The group is back at the Arts Festival on Monday 18 April for another great night’s craic. Come along at 8pm for a night’s entertainment of poetry, prose, stories and music.

Born To PranceDate: Tuesday 19 AprilTimes: 8pmAdmission: £2

Dance, story, wit and legend, all rolled into one. Come see Anthea McWilliams tell her unique tale of when, in 2008 as she turned 50, she set out to dance all the way from Malin Head in Co. Donegal to Mizen Head in Co. Cork. Find out what possessed her as she re-enacts the experience through visual and vocal excerpts of endurance, artistry and endeavour. This is comic dance theatre like you’ve never seen before, unless of course you saw her that afternoon on a back road in Co. Donegal fending off the locals! Did she find the dancing masters of olden days or the crossroads dancing of yesteryear?Devised and performed by Anthea McWilliams with original footage. Attire designed by Helen Quigley.

Fashion Week in Ballymena Date: Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 April Times: Dunclug Fashion Show 7:30pm April 20, Tickets £5Fashion Screening – The Devil Wears Prada, 1:30pm, April 21, Admission Free

The Braid Arts Centre is the place to be for local fashionistas this spring.

Featuring a massive fashion show, run by Dunclug College, with all the best in local styles and all in aid of the ‘Vision of Good Hope’ orphanage in Moldova.Also during the week is the Fashion Film Show screening of the Devil Wears Prada on Thursday 21 April, 1.30pm, Admission Free.

Young Choon ParkDate: Wednesday 27 AprilTimes: 8pmAdmission: £7

Young-Choon Park is making a welcome return to the Braid Arts Centre after first performing here in 2008. The South Korean born pianist began the study of the piano at the age of four and gave her first full recital when she was seven. She played the Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra at the age of nine. The young child prodigy studied at the Juilliard School in New York and later gained the highest masters degree at the Hochschule in Munich.Since then she has performed all over the world and has played with many of the great orchestras. This is a wonderful opportunity to see and hear a classical piano recital of the highest calibre, featuring Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.

Suburb of BabylonDate: Thursday 28 and Friday 29 AprilTimes: 8pmAdmission: £6

You never know what goes on behind closed doors...This quiet street in an urban neighbourhood in County Antrim seems just like any other. But as Hugh Leonard takes us behind the closed doors of three of the houses, it quickly becomes apparent that the events inside each couldn’t be more different.In the first household ex-serviceman Jumbo Beamish cuts a lone and tragic figure as he struggles to come to terms with his fall from grace. Meanwhile, in the house next door, Phil Agnew accidentally finds himself drawn into the nightmare world of political violence. In the final household, Dom Studley’s attempts to indulge in a little adultery have disastrous yet hilarious consequences.From the despair and desperation of Act One to the farcical comedy of Act Two, ‘Suburb of Babylon’ has entertainment value on every level and will keep you guessing from beginning to end.

May 2011Braid Real Music Club EventDate: Friday 13 MayTimes: 8pmAdmission: £8 non-members £5 members

Tony Mc Loughlin:A native of Newry, Tony McLoughlin has consistently shown himself to be a top of the line musician and songwriter. His travels have taken him all through Europe and more recently America. The quality of his four albums speaks for itself.Tony continues to tour in Europe and now regularly visits the United States to write, co-write, record and perform. Ben Reel:Ben Reel plays rock with a touch of roots, blues and soul with an occasional injection of reggae. Critically acclaimed all over Europe, his vocals are soulful and his lyrics meaningful. In the last two years Ben has earned the respect and shared the stage with some Nashville greats like Nancy Griffith, Hal Kethcum and David Olney.Since his debut ‘This is the Movie’ back in 1999, each album has gone from strength to strength, covering different styles of music along the way from rock, soul, roots and reggae to funk. Now, with this current album, Ben’s music has evolved into an honest earthy, soulful sound that has matured like a fine wine.Stephen Randall Hall:Since the release of his album ‘The Wee Wee Man’ in 2010, poet and artist Randal Stephen Hall has had significant airplay on The Gerry Anderson Show,

BBC Radio Foyle and Radio Ulster. Listeners have responded to songs such as ‘Biscuits’, ‘Get Your Pig On’, ‘The Lang Staine’ and more. Throughout his adult life Stephen has written songs, stories and poems – many of which have been influenced by life in the North of Ireland.

Braid Comedy Club Date: Saturday 14 May Times: 8.30pmAdmission: £7

Another riotous night of comedy at the monthly Braid Comedy Club. With a great line up of comedians we’re sure to have you in stitches.

How to buy tickets:By phone: Call our Box Office on 028 2563 5900 – open from 10am to 9pm daily except Sunday.

In person: Call into reception at The Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena and buy your tickets at the Box Office – opening hours 10am to 9pm daily except Sunday.

Why not join our Free Mailing list – simply call the Box Office on 028 2563 5900 and leave your name and address.

Or join our free Text Service and find out what’s on ahead of the crowd – text ‘shows’ to 80480

Check out our website for full details of all events and shows: www.thebraid.com

Ballymena A Great Place To Be! | Spring 2011

A Shared Space - A Neighbourly Place

Promoting Good Relations continues to be a subject high on the agenda at Ballymena Borough Council as we introduce our new Good Relations Strategy for 2010-2012.

‘Create a Climate for Change’ and ‘Promote Provision of Shared Space’ are the two major themes of this new strategy, which was launched at Council’s Community & Voluntary Dinner by Baroness May Blood MBE, the first Northern Ireland women to be awarded a life peerage.

Baroness Blood congratulated Council, saying: “Ballymena has got it right.” She further commented: “There is no greater satisfaction than giving a voice to the voiceless. I know the Strategy is called ‘Good Relations’, but I would stand that on its head and pose the question – what makes relations good? Putting in place projects and systems that answer that question is the key to success.”

Baroness May Blood MBE congratulates Council on the launch of its new Good Relations Strategy. Included back row (from left) Mrs Jane Dunlop (Assistant Community Relations Officer), Mrs Jackie Patton (Community Relations Officer), Mr Rodger McKnight (Deputy Town Clerk & Chief Executive), Mr Greg Dornan (Corporate Policy Officer), Mrs Sandra Michael (Admin Officer, Good Relations Unit), Mrs Anne Donaghy (Chief Executive). Front Row (from left) Cllr James Currie MBE, Baroness May Blood MBE, Alderman PJ McAvoy. Photograph courtesy of the Ballymena TIMES

We recognise our role to provide strong civic leadership within the borough as we strive to make Ballymena ‘A Great Place to Be’. This new Strategy not only complements and continues the Good Relations work that has been achieved to date, but allows Council to move forward in an inclusive and progressive manner. Through the two themes ‘Create A Climate for Change’ and ‘Promote Provision

of Shared Space’, Council pledge their continued commitment and support to projects and initiatives aimed at creating Good Relations for all our citizens.We will strive to embed Good Relations in all aspects of Council business, and will work closely with other agencies and our communities to help make Ballymena a safer and more welcoming place for all.

If you would like to know more about our Good Relations Strategy, or to obtain a copy, please contact Mrs Jackie Patton, Community Relations Officer on 028 2566 0300 or email policy.unit@ballymena.gov.uk

Active Communities Programme

Active Communities is a Sport Northern Ireland investment programme that sees Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne Borough Councils working together to employ, deploy and train a network of full-time and part-time sports coaches and physical activity leaders. Coaches and leaders will deliver physical activity and sport in school, youth, community and club settings across the three Boroughs over the next three years. Ballymena Borough Council will have access to a full-time multi-sports coach and a physical activity leader specialising in dance.Active Communities will be open to everyone but there will be a particular emphasis on creating opportunities for under-represented groups – such as women and girls, older people and people with a disability – to participate in sport and physical recreation. If you would be interested in setting up a meeting with a view to having one or both of our coaches come to your organisation to conduct a programme or to discuss other qualifications, which our coaches have, please contact Katrina McCaughan, Sports Development Officer on 028 2563 8510 or alternatively email katrina.mccaughan@ballymena.gov.uk and we will arrange to come out and meet with you.

Food Waste RecyclingWe’re introducing a new food recycling scheme in the summer which will stop food waste being wasted and turn leftovers into compost.

Ballymena Borough Council have strict targets for the amount of waste sent to landfill and we thank you for all your recycling efforts so far.

Currently food waste goes into black bins and if we can recycle this it will reduce the amount we send to landfill even more.

From the summer you can recycle all your food waste by putting it into your brown bin. Every house will be given a kitchen caddy, a supply of bio-degradable liners which fit inside your caddy and a leaflet explaining the scheme. It’s clean and easy to use.

You will be able to recycle all kinds of food waste including:• Meat and fish – raw and cooked, including bones• All dairy products such as eggs and cheese• Raw and cooked vegetables and fruit• Bread, cakes and pastries• Rice, pasta and beans• Uneaten food from your plate and dishes• Tea and coffee groundsJust put your waste food into the caddies and when full tie up the liner and put it into your brown bin along with your garden waste. Garden and food waste will be recycled into compost.

More information, caddies and bin liners will be delivered to you before the start of the new scheme. Brown bins will continue to be emptied on the current fortnightly cycle.

For those households who are currently on weekly collections, we will provide you with a new brown bin and kitchen caddy for your food and garden waste which we will empty on a fortnightly basis.

By using your new brown bin for food and garden waste you will greatly reduce the waste you put in your black refuse bin for disposal at landfill and increase recycling rates for Ballymena.

For further details contact Operational Services & Waste Management on 028 2566 0465/466.

Profiles Fitness Suite at Seven Towers Leisure Centre has re-opened with new state of the art Pulsefitness Equipment.

Ballymena Borough Council has linked with Pulsefitness to bring its current members, and new members, the latest in fitness experience.Why not give us a call for further details on all memberships that are available? Casual users welcome. Contact reception on 028 2564 1427.

Cardio Vascular (CV) EquipmentEach piece of CV equipment is programmed with the latest fitness regimes designed to improve your health and wellbeing. The new Fusion Range of equipment will offer members: • Personal television viewing to each piece of CV equipment• Integrated iPod features, including watching videos, charging iPod, personal listening, etc• Easy to use programming with integrated 10.1 inch screen – learn one console learn them all • More motivational workout programmes than any other competitor products – combining training programmes with useful information, communication and entertainment.

Strength EquipmentThe ‘Evolve’ strength range from Pulse is recognised as leading the way in strength training equipment, and is renowned for elegant design, biomechanical efficiency and inclusive fitness. The ‘Evolve’ range from Pulse makes resistance training more available, enjoyable and effective for everyone, encouraging participation from a broader range of users.

Smart CentreProfiles at Seven Towers have also purchased the Pulse Smart Centre. The Smart Centre further enhances members’ experience with a direct link to each piece of strength and cardio vascular equipment.All current members will receive a ‘smart card’ which will hold their personal details and allows paperless monitoring of all training carried out on each piece of equipment. All new members will receive their Smart Card as part of the induction process, this will allow staff to set up and adapt workouts for members as required.

Fitness Suite Re-opens