Ards Peninsula Kite Festival is back for 2022. It will be held on Sunday 21st August 2022 at Millisle Beach.
Kite Peninsula
Good Morning Call
Good Morning Call is a FREE confidential service for all residents of Ards and North Down Borough Council over the Age of 65. The calls take place Monday-Friday from 9.15am-11.15am with a minimum of two calls a week delivered from one of our trained volunteers.
We can take referrals from other services, family members or even self-referrals. Once referred we can arrange for a telephone conversation to discuss the service in more detail.
The Good Morning Call allows people to remain independent in their own homes, talk to a friendly voice and gave family members peace of mind knowing that we are checking in with their loved ones.
We have a 24/7 answering machine which allows clients to leave a message should they have appointments and will not be in for their call.
If you would like to know more or have someone in mind, please contact AGE North Down and Ards on 028 9127 1968 or email goodmorningcall@agenorthdownards.co.uk.
Christmas In Portaferry
Christmas Lights in Portaferry will be switched on Friday 26th November. Check Portaferry Gala website and social media pages for full details.
Portaferry Gala 2021
Welcome to Portaferry Galafest 2021. All Gala events are ticketed events and will adhere to current Covid Rules and Guidelines. Check Portaferry Gala Facebook and Website for details on what’s taking place, how to book and register.
Ferry FM will be broadcasting online throughout the week and keeping you up to date with all that’s happening. Listen on your Computer, Laptop, Smartphone, Tablet, Smart TV and Smart Speaker. We’re available on various apps including TuneIn, Radioline, MyTuner Radio.
Radio Broadcast Hours
Whilst our audience has grown greatly over the last 2 years, unfortunately our income hasn’t. Despite our best efforts to attract advertising to the station, we simply can’t sustain the cost of broadcasting 24/7. Radio stations pay to play music, as is only right, how else would musicians, publishers and composers earn a living otherwise?
If our audience continues to rise at the rate it has done, we will be faced with an unsustainable bill. The directors have taken the difficult decision to reduce the station broadcast hours to those hours with the biggest local audience:- 6pm – 12am weekdays; and 12pm -12am weekends. We realise this will come as a big disappointment to our “ex-ports” in the US, Australia and Canada but rest assured, the directors will keep exploring avenues to enable the service to resume full-time broadcasting.
Thanks for listening and remember our podcast page has listen again items posted on a regular basis. Fans of Hendi’s Hits will be pleased to know the programme will continue on Slice Audio, weekdays 10am – 1pm.
Covid-19 NI Update
Coronavirus is still here. The current regulations are in place until 5 March 2021. They will be reviewed on 18 February 2021. Some of the restrictions will be in law through regulation, while others will be in guidance. Everyone is legally required to comply with the regulations.
The regulations will be available on the Department of Health website:
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/guidance-accompany-health-protection-coronavirus-restrictions-no-2-amendment-regulations-northern
A summary guide outlining the restrictions is available at this link:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guide-restrictions-january-2021
Covid-19 New NI Lockdown
Northern Ireland will go into a six week Lockdown on Boxing Day. NI Executive Ministers met on Thursday amid growing concern about the rise of coronavirus cases in Northern Ireland. The Health minister said the restrictions will come into effect from midnight on Christmas Day, taking effect on the 26th.
Robin Swann said: “The Executive has probably taken its hardest decision, its most deep decision, in regards to how we have had to combat Covid-19 collectively. “We will be looking to a six week lock down where the message will be work from home, stay at home.
The agreed measures include:
Non-essential retail will close, including garden centres, click and collect services, and homeware
All hospitality will close, except deliveries and takeaway (Hotels will be able to remain open until 28th December to accommodate Christmas bookings)
Close contact services eg. hairdressers, beauticians etc will close
All essential businesses that will be allowed to open must close at 8pm for the first week of lockdown
No household mixing, except in an emergency
People will be asked to stay at home from 8pm – 6am for the first week of the lockdown
No changes have made to the Christmas bubbling system, which runs from the 23rd to the 27th of December.
No outdoor mixing with other households
Outdoor exercise will only be permitted alone or with members of your household
Elite sport will be cancelled during the first week of lockdown
Religious services can continue depending on a risk assessment
Number at funerals and weddings limited to 25. Receptions are not allowed
Christmas bubbling arrangements are still permitted, however people are being asked to limit their contact with others.
Full News Story can be read at UTV News
Full details of Coronavirus Rules in Northern Ireland at NI Direct
Please stay safe and follow Coronavirus and Social Distancing Rules. Ferry FM also broadcasts Coronavirus information.
Nugent’s Wood, Portaferry
PEACE IV Project at Portaferry’s Nugent’s Wood Completed
Visitors to the recently reopened Nugent’s Wood in Portaferry can now enjoy an even better experience at the beautiful National Trust site thanks to a cash injection from the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme.
Improvements to the walking trail path and repairs to the existing stone wall have been completed, while additional drainage works as well as new seating, sculptures and entrance signage have been installed.
The project was supported by the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding was provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.
It marks the successful completion of one of the four Ards and North Down Borough Council’s PEACE IV ‘Shared Spaces and Services’ projects. Work was carried out by contractor F.P. McCann and design consultants, AECOM.
The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Trevor Cummings said:
“I am delighted to see this project come to fruition. Nugent’s Wood is a beautiful location with stunning views that all residents and visitors to the area can enjoy. Going outside and getting some exercise is vital for our physical and mental health. The Nugent’s Wood walking trail provides the perfect place where you can get fresh air and enjoy a walk while socially distancing.”
The National Trust acquired Nugent’s Wood in 1983. The wood covers 13 hectares and was originally planted as a shelter belt to the adjoining Portaferry House Demesne. The 1.5-mile path through the woodland features views across Strangford Lough to the Castle Ward Estate.
Commenting on the project, Andrew Upton, Countryside Manager for the National Trust, said:
“Nugent’s Wood is a wonderful mixed woodland on the shores of Strangford Lough. This open space provides visitors with access to woods and countryside, allowing people to reconnect with nature, something which is vital for health and wellbeing, especially during the current Covid-19 crisis. We’re delighted to see the completion of this funded project and we look forward to protecting and caring for Nugent’s Wood so people and nature can thrive, long into the future.”
For more information about the Ards and North Down Borough Council’s PEACE IV Shared Spaces and Services projects, visit ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/peaceiv.
Covid-19 Update
Following an increase in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, additional restrictions have been introduced for people living in Northern Ireland. These new restrictions have been put in place to help reduce the spread of coronavirus and to help manage the pressures on our health and social care system. This page will be updated with detailed information as it becomes available.
The regulations were introduced on 16 October 2020 and will be in place for four weeks.
The regulations are available on the Department of Health website:
Health protection coronavirus restrictions regulations
Some of the restrictions will be in law through regulation, while others will be in guidance.
Everyone is legally required to comply with the regulations.
Everyone has their part to play in stopping the spread of the virus in the community by:
limiting contact with others
regular hand washing
wearing of face coverings
good social distancing
If you display any coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, self-isolate straight away and book a test.
A summary guide outlining the restrictions is available to download at this link:
A guide to the current restrictions in Northern Ireland
Households are not allowed to mix indoors in private homes. Certain exemptions apply, including:
– bubbling with one other household
– childcare
– building or maintenance work
– the services of trades or professions (close contact services are not allowed)
– providing care or assistance, including social services, to a vulnerable person
– giving or receiving legal advice or assistance or fulfilling a legal obligation
– providing emergency or medical assistance to any person
– a house move, and to do associated activities for that purpose, including viewing properties and making arrangements for removals
– a marriage or civil partnership where one of the couple is terminally ill
Children whose parents do not live in the same household can move between homes as normal.
More details here:-
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-regulations-guidance-what-restrictions-mean-you
Covid-19 Update
The following restrictions for all households in Northern Ireland were introduced from 6.00 pm on 22 September 2020:
no mixing of households in private dwellings, with exemptions for:
– bubbling with one other household
– caring responsibilities, including childcare
– building or maintenance work, or the services of any trade or profession
– supported living arrangements
– visits required for legal or medical purposes
– a business operating from a person’s home
– a funeral
– a house move, and to undertake associated activities for that purpose, including viewing properties and making arrangements for removals
– marriage or civil partnership ceremony in a private dwelling where one partner is terminally ill
– no more than six people to gather in a private garden from no more than two households -children aged 12 and under from those two households are not counted in this total
Households are no longer allowed to mix indoors in private homes. This is because meeting friends and family indoors carries a higher risk than meeting outdoors.
You can form a bubble with one other household. These two households can be any size, however gatherings indoors should be no more than six people. Children aged 12 and under from those two households are not counted in this total.
Exemptions apply for those with caring responsibilities and you can continue to provide support for elderly relatives or dependents.
It is important that people who were previously shielding are particularly careful at this time.
Children whose parents do not live in the same household can move between homes as normal.
More information can be found via the following link: www.nidirect.gov.uk
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