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Newry Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business Lunch in the Canal Court Hotel today with deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA the keynote guest speaker.
President Michael McKeown, said, ‘Newry Chamber of Commerce was delighted to host this important Business Lunch with the deputy First Minister at a hugely important time in the history of this cross border community and indeed the island of Ireland. The outcome of the UK’s Referendum on EU membership and imminent Government elections on both sides of the border may impact our everyday lives and shape the way we do business in the future. It was important to hear from the deputy First Minister his comments on the matter and for him to hear the views from the Newry Business Community’.
At the event the deputy First Minister talked about the global economy, the priority the Executive places on growing the economy and the valuable contribution of local businesses.
The deputy First Minister said: “Events like this hosted by the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade are important as they provide a forum for an exchange of views on how we can collectively grow our economy. Newry has a vibrant business community with an abundance of entrepreneurial spirit and a thirst for success. This energy and enthusiasm has kept the wheels of the economy turning during what has been very challenging economic period
“At a time of elections, north and south and a referendum on Europe it’s vitally important the Executive, Invest NI, Councils and local stakeholders continue to work together to rebuild and rebalance our economy. We must support businesses and we have done that during this Programme for Government by almost £30million of support offered by Invest NI to locally-owned businesses in the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area.”
Speaking about the performance of the Executive, Martin McGuinness said: “Decisions taken by the Executive by locally elected and accountable politicians continue to make a real and positive difference to people’s lives. This Executive has created more than 40,000 jobs, spent over £90million a week delivering the range of health and social care services across the north, stopped the introduction of water charges, kept our rates bill lower than the rest of the UK, kept prescriptions free for everyone and protected free domiciliary care.
“In addition, we have supported our students with tuition fees for local students at Queen’s and Ulster University which are a third lower than those studying in England. We have stopped the introduction of the bedroom tax, unlike the rest of the UK, prevented unmitigated welfare cuts through agreeing a range of welfare changes to continue to support the most vulnerable across society, and provided free travel for pensioners.”
Event sponsor, Steven McDonnell, Recruitment Manager at Servisource, stated, ‘We were delighted to support Newry Chamber in hosting this business lunch event. As an organisation operating in this cross border region we recognise the importance of events like this in promoting this region as a key place to work and do business’.
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Being a Master Saddler makes you a member of a very exclusive club, with only three in the province. One of them, James Adair plies his trade from his workshop in WIN Business Park, Newry.
Adding to his RDS Award in 2014, James has just had a hat trick in London, winning three prizes for his side saddle in the Society of Master Saddlers National Saddlery Championships. He took the Societies First Prize for side saddle, Premium Award for having over 85% of the marks and the Side Saddle Association Trophy, a trophy that has never made it out of England … until now.
Other competitors in the prestigious competition included the King and Queen of Denmark’s saddler and harness maker, the King and Queen of Sweden’s harness maker and Queen Elizabeth’s harness maker, so top competition indeed.
On Easter Monday next month you will find James demonstrating his saddlery work at Smithfield in Dublin as part of the Easter Rising Commemorations, thanks to an invite from RTE. He is also demonstrating at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.
James is married to a Newry woman and is originally from near Cloughy on the Ards pennisuala. He is a registered member of the Society of Master Saddlers, Qualified Master Saddler and Side Saddle specialist and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Scholar.
When he was 12 or 13 he had a friend that kept greyhounds. Every dog had his own collar and lead and with 70 dogs that was a lot of collars that needed work done to them so a young enterprising James looked for a way to get them fixed.
“I remember taking a bag of collars into a local shoe mender in Newtownards one day in all innocence and I opened the bag and he came round and literally chased me down Regent Street in Newtownards, and I didn’t know what I’d done!
“It turned out another Greyhound man - his dogs killed his cat. He just seen Greyhound collars and I was going to get the brunt of it”
Not to be put off James then went to a local saddler, but he was up to his eyes so he started fixing them himself and as they say the rest is history.
A friend Joe Garvey a saddler in the Blues and Royals from the Household Cavalry came home and they got working together. James went to a Saddlery school in Salisbury. He had no notion of doing exams but his teacher had other ideas and forged his signature and James sat his first exam whether he wanted to or not.
James got his Master Saddler’s qualification and with the notion of doing side saddles, started repairing a few of them as well as taking on many other related jobs.
“I fix anything at all that goes on to a horse - collars, straddles, harness, all the bridle work, saddles, I’ve made saddles, all that sort of stuff”
On working on side saddles James says “I tend to get a bit lost in them, time disappears. This one took six weeks solid work to make it from scratch, and they’re not all eight hour days!
“When I do them they are 100% hand stitched, there’s no machines at all, and even some of the threads I make by hand”
With customers as far away as Cork and London, word of mouth is what usually takes them to him or sometimes they discover him on the Society of Master Saddlers Website or his own thejourneymansaddler.com site.
Over the years as well as equestrian items James has made thousands of belts, dog collars, cattle halters, Briefcases and bags, muzzles, prosthetics for Vets, even boots for cats and dogs.
While his main work is repair, since moving to WIN he has made numerous bespoke bridles including one for the Garda Síochána.
On sourcing his raw materials James reflects “We’ve no Tanneries in Ireland anymore unfortunately. For saddlery leathers you can’t really beat English leather for that. My doeskin comes from Germany for the seats in the Side Saddles. Linen, I can get here. Linen Threads, most of my threads were made in Hilden Mill
“There were Tanneries in Newry at one stage, The Tan Yard would have been up near Bagenal’s Castle and the hides would have been shipped out on the boats”
The last Newry Saddler who worked in Canal Street closed down in 1964!
“I think it was Kelly his name was” James remarks “At one stage leather would have played a big big part in Newry, you had leather sellers, you had boot makers, shoe makers, collar makers, harness makers and saddlers, it was a big big thing.”
Roll the clock forward half a century and the Journeyman Saddler is now established in Newry. The business is three years at Unit 2 RDC in WIN Business Park. Hours are usually 9-4ish, unless he is out fitting a saddle.
James runs regular workshops with a maximum of five students per course at their premises in Newry.
James can be contacted by email at enquiries@thejourneymansaddler.com or Telephone 077 4712 9161
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Being a Master Saddler makes you a member of a very exclusive club, with only three in the province. One of them, James Adair plies his trade from his workshop in WIN Business Park, Newry.
Adding to his RDS Award in 2014, James has just had a hat trick in London, winning three prizes for his side saddle in the Society of Master Saddlers National Saddlery Championships. He took the Societies First Prize for side saddle, Premium Award for having over 85% of the marks and the Side Saddle Association Trophy, a trophy that has never made it out of England … until now.
Other competitors in the prestigious competition included the King and Queen of Denmark’s saddler and harness maker, the King and Queen of Sweden’s harness maker and Queen Elizabeth’s harness maker, so top competition indeed.
On Easter Monday next month you will find James demonstrating his saddlery work at Smithfield in Dublin as part of the Easter Rising Commemorations, thanks to an invite from RTE. He is also demonstrating at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.
James is married to a Newry woman and is originally from near Cloughy on the Ards pennisuala. He is a registered member of the Society of Master Saddlers, Qualified Master Saddler and Side Saddle specialist and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Scholar.
When he was 12 or 13 he had a friend that kept greyhounds. Every dog had his own collar and lead and with 70 dogs that was a lot of collars that needed work done to them so a young enterprising James looked for a way to get them fixed.
“I remember taking a bag of collars into a local shoe mender in Newtownards one day in all innocence and I opened the bag and he came round and literally chased me down Regent Street in Newtownards, and I didn’t know what I’d done!
“It turned out another Greyhound man - his dogs killed his cat. He just seen Greyhound collars and I was going to get the brunt of it”
Not to be put off James then went to a local saddler, but he was up to his eyes so he started fixing them himself and as they say the rest is history.
A friend Joe Garvey a saddler in the Blues and Royals from the Household Cavalry came home and they got working together. James went to a Saddlery school in Salisbury. He had no notion of doing exams but his teacher had other ideas and forged his signature and James sat his first exam whether he wanted to or not.
James got his Master Saddler’s qualification and with the notion of doing side saddles, started repairing a few of them as well as taking on many other related jobs.
“I fix anything at all that goes on to a horse - collars, straddles, harness, all the bridle work, saddles, I’ve made saddles, all that sort of stuff”
On working on side saddles James says “I tend to get a bit lost in them, time disappears. This one took six weeks solid work to make it from scratch, and they’re not all eight hour days!
“When I do them they are 100% hand stitched, there’s no machines at all, and even some of the threads I make by hand”
With customers as far away as Cork and London, word of mouth is what usually takes them to him or sometimes they discover him on the Society of Master Saddlers Website or his own thejourneymansaddler.com site.
Over the years as well as equestrian items James has made thousands of belts, dog collars, cattle halters, Briefcases and bags, muzzles, prosthetics for Vets, even boots for cats and dogs.
While his main work is repair, since moving to WIN he has made numerous bespoke bridles including one for the Garda Síochána.
On sourcing his raw materials James reflects “We’ve no Tanneries in Ireland anymore unfortunately. For saddlery leathers you can’t really beat English leather for that. My doeskin comes from Germany for the seats in the Side Saddles. Linen, I can get here. Linen Threads, most of my threads were made in Hilden Mill
“There were Tanneries in Newry at one stage, The Tan Yard would have been up near Bagenal’s Castle and the hides would have been shipped out on the boats”
The last Newry Saddler who worked in Canal Street closed down in 1964!
“I think it was Kelly his name was” James remarks “At one stage leather would have played a big big part in Newry, you had leather sellers, you had boot makers, shoe makers, collar makers, harness makers and saddlers, it was a big big thing.”
Roll the clock forward half a century and the Journeyman Saddler is now established in Newry. The business is three years at Unit 2 RDC in WIN Business Park. Hours are usually 9-4ish, unless he is out fitting a saddle.
James runs regular workshops with a maximum of five students per course at their premises in Newry.
James can be contacted by email at enquiries@thejourneymansaddler.com or Telephone 077 4712 9161
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A competition by the Sunday Times has seen local business Best Property Services named Silver winner in the NI division of the newspaper's Estate Agency of the Awards
The local firm beat off stiff competition to scoop second place in the national agency awards hosted annually by the Sunday Times.
Delivering their comments the judges felt the company, “Offered services and tools which are unavailable at many of their competitors and these are proving a point of difference which is very well received by potential clients.” They added that the: “instruction to completion time is impressive…the directors had created a relaxed environment conductive to retaining and motivating the skilled, enthusiastic team and the long established company had proved its reputation and expertise.”
Garry Best, Managing Director said: “We’ve entered previously and have been highly commended so I’m thrilled to jump to the silver award this year. It’s a real testament to the team and our many long serving staff members so I’d like to pay credit to them.”
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Newry based FM Environmental has won a significant contract with Grand Central Station in New York with their Grease Guardian technology.
Announcing the project at Grand Central Station at the end of a week-long visit to the US, Enterprise , Trade and Investment Minister, Jonathan Bell said “This is an impressive development for a very ambitious Northern Ireland company. FM Environmental identified the US as a target market for its Grease Guardian products and took the strategic decision to open a US office to enable it to capitalise on the emerging business opportunities.
“This commitment has certainly paid off. In the first 12 months, the company has successfully installed its products in over 300 different locations across the US, and can now include the magnificent Grand Central Station on its long list of customers.
“This is an excellent example of how a growing Northern Ireland company can prosper in a global market with the right focus and investment. I hope this deal will act as a springboard for FM Environmental to generate even more business here in New York, and beyond.”
FM Environmental established its New York headquarters in 2014, and this latest contract adds to their existing business with leading US fast-food restaurants and coffee houses.
Over the last number of years, the company has invested in innovative products and services that differentiate it from its competitors. It has also identified key export markets including Russia, Malaysia, Australia and Mexico.
Invest NI has offered the company £50,000 of support to assist it with its export growth plans, including market development activities, IT support and the creation of two new jobs.
Des Murphy from Grease Guardian USA said: “Our Grease Guardian technology allows restaurants, hotels, airports and other major industries to comply with regulations for the disposal of waste.
“Our product has been upgraded and developed to a range of models in recent years and Invest NI assistance has helped us to enhance our offering to suit particular markets such as the US and Asia.
“Initially, we did our research which allowed us to gain information about the steps we would have to take to enter the US market and as a result, identified a gap in the US market for our Grease Guardian grease trap products.
“We have been on a number of Invest NI trade missions and are starting to reap the benefits of all our hard work, with significant new business being signed in this market. We now hope to continue to develop relationships in the US which will be vital to our future exporting success.”
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Over 200 business delegates attended a Cross Border Business Support Expo hosted by Newry and Dundalk Chambers of Commerce and supported by InterTradeIreland, Louth Local Enterprise Office on the 27th January in the Carrickdale Hotel.
President Michael McKeown of Newry Chamber stated, ‘as joint organisers of this annual event, Newry Chamber was delighted with its success in terms of networking opportunities created and the opening of communication channels between local businesses and Support Agencies’.
‘There is a wide selection of business support programmes currently offered to small businesses; however, there is some confusion within the business community about where to look for support and exactly what businesses can avail of. In this evolving economic climate local businesses need to take advantage of all appropriate support opportunities open to them. This event provided a unique forum for business owners and managers to speak directly to all the local Business Support Providers on a one-to-one basis, on one day, under one roof’.
Over 25 Business Support Agencies catering for the needs of businesses located within the Newry Dundalk region exhibited at this Expo; exhibitors included, InterTradeIreland, Invest NI, Newry Mourne & Down District Council, Louth County Council, Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency, Southern Regional College, Department of Employment & Learning, Louth Regional Development Centre, Enterprise Ireland, Employability Louth, all of the main lending institutions.
Mr Paddy Savage, Operations Manager at InterTradeIreland said, ‘we are delighted to support this important cross – border business event again this year. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind local companies that we currently have a broad range of support packages for businesses interested in doing cross – border business or looking for networking/ partnering opportunities across the island. Details are on our website www.intertradeireland.com’’
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Southern Regional College’s (SRC) business support unit, i3, recently hosted their first event of 2016 with a Health & Safety theme - CE Marking for local Mechanical Engineering companies. The event was designed to bring Engineering companies together to share and gain expertise on what CE Marking means for their business and was delivered by guest speaker and CE Marking specialist, Alan Edgar from Queen’s University.
i3’s Engineering Innovation Specialist, Alistair Quinn, informed the companies present how i3 can take their business to the next level through the wide range of funded support packages available.
Alistair’s expertise is in New Product Development, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Technical Drawing, Prototyping, Material Evaluation/Selection, Product Testing, and Manufacturing.
If you are interested in finding out more on how the i3 Business Support Centre can help your company, please contact the team on 028 38397 778 or alternatively email us at i3@src.ac.uk.
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Newry Chamber of Commerce President, Michael McKeown is inviting all businesses in the Greater Newry area to join with the Chamber for an historic business lunch with a keynote guest speaker from the Office of First and Deputy First Minister on Wednesday 24 February in the Canal Court Hotel Newry from 12noon - 2pm.
Mr McKeown said, “we are absolutely delighted to be hosting this influential decision maker from the Northern Ireland Executive in Newry City. Newry is a significant economic driver for this region; it has a proud and vibrant business community, an educated and skilled workforce and an abundance of entrepreneurial ambition but it requires the support of central Government to fully maximise its true potential. Hosting events like this is an important aspect of the Chamber’s lobbying activities to generate profile and showcase the very best this City and its hinterland has to offer’.
President Michael McKeown continued, “this is also an excellent networking opportunity for new and established business people in the City. We would encourage all business people in the area to come along to the Canal Court to support this event and show the strength of the business community in the greater Newry area.”
Steven McDonnell, Recruitment Manager, Servisource, stated, ‘we are delighted to support Newry Chamber in hosting this important event. As an organisation operating in this cross border region we recognise the importance of events like this in promoting this region as a key place to work and do business’.
A limited number of tickets are still available for this event priced at £20 each for Newry Chamber members and £30 each for non- members. For more details or to book a place at the lunch please contact Newry Chamber on (028) 3025 0303 or email: info@newrychamber.com
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Where toilet facilities are concerned some just think of them as somewhere to 'spend a penny' but thanks to an investment of ten million pennies or £100k Buttercrane Shopping Centre has won the top award Best Baby Changing facility in a shopping centre or retail location in all of the UK and Ireland and achieved Platinum status for their toilet facilities.
The major national award commended their recently upgraded toilet facilities which include a ‘Space to Change’ disabled facility and an integrated Sensory Zone.
The Centre was up against major competition in the national awards ceremony which had hundreds of entries from retail, hospitality and education and local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
The judges cited the centre saying it provided “excellent facilities for young and old and those with a disability in their recently updated customer toilets”.
Peter Murray, Buttercrane Centre Manager said he was delighted with the win. “We’ve been highly commended before, and last year won a Gold Award, so it’s wonderful to be voted the Best in Ireland & the UK against schemes such as The Trafford Centre, Manchester for our customer toilet facilities. Alongside our children’s wear brands, this award enhances Buttercrane’s appeal to families and makes the centre a great place to visit for parents.”
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