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The Pavers Foundation, employee-led charitable initiative of multi-channel family-owned footwear retailer Pavers, has recently matched £1,000 of fundraising carried out by Rathore Parents and Friends Association. The grant application was submitted by Sarah Hankin, Supervisor at Pavers Newry.
Sarah applied for the grant funding for the school which her nephew attends, which caters for children with additional needs and learning difficulties. “Without Rathore many children and young people would not have the opportunities they get here, a fantastic organisation who come together to enrich the lives of others, that we should all be thankful for. I chose this charity as I have family members who attend Rathore and continue to thrive and grow each and every day. The love, friendship, education and support these children, young people and their families receive is outstanding!”
Rathore School thanked the Foundation for the contribution towards the minibus fundraiser. Once purchased, the vehicle will afford the school many more opportunities to explore the local community with the children.
“The £1,000 donation will help us immensely towards our goal for a specially adapted minibus for Rathore School It’ll enable us to take the children swimming, parks, grocery shopping to develop there life skills and engage more in the community And raise awareness of special needs. Thank you, Pavers Foundation, on behalf of the 235 children in Rathore school Newry and especially from Rathore Parents & Friends Association.”
The Pavers Foundation is proud to recognise the charitable fundraising efforts of the Rathore Parents and Friends Association by matching this fundraising, and continues to make a difference to charities and causes close to the hearts of their 1600 colleagues in areas of health, education and community through their charitable donations.
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Three Newry students are America bound this month on a programme which offers scholarships to study business or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related subjects in American colleges, across 28 States,.
Gareth Doyle, Aidan McKeown and Ryan O’Hanlon are among 48 students on the Study USA Programme, an initiative that will help develop their career prospects when they return home .
The British Council, which is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, manages Study USA on behalf of the Department for the Economy – and since its formation in 1994, the initiative has sent over 2000 students studying in Northern Ireland to all four corners of the United States.
Aidan, who studies Primary Education with Music at St Mary’s University Belfast, is off to Edgewood College in Wisconsin; Gareth, a Communication, Advertising and Marketing student at Ulster University, is heading to Saint Mary of the Woods College, Indiana; while Queen’s University Belfast Law student Ryan will spend the next year at Alvernia University, Pennsylvania.
Speaking about the programme, Jonathan Stewart, Director, British Council Northern Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to continue this important partnership with the Department of Economy to deliver Study USA, a prestigious programme that has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2014.
“Study USA is a great way for Northern Ireland students to connect with another country, to really get to understand that country through living there for a year, and enhance their CV by developing new skills in an international setting. While in the US, the students will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts in their field, developing intercultural skills that will prepare them for working in a global economy. Most importantly, our students will build links with counterparts in the United States that will last a lifetime.
“We know that this year’s students will be great ambassadors for Northern Ireland and we wish them every success for the exciting year ahead.”
Also commenting on the programme was Economy Minister Gordon Lyons, he said: “I’m delighted that my Department is once again working with our partners in the British Council and colleges across North America to deliver Study USA and I want to congratulate all our students who have secured a place in this year’s Study USA programme. A world of opportunity lies in front of them as they begin their studies in colleges right across the United States.
“The benefits of adding an international dimension to our students’ higher education experience are clear. It helps them to widen their horizons, develop personal resilience, confidence and skills, and offers the potential of better academic and employability outcomes in the future.
“My sincere hope is that Study USA helps every student taking part to flourish as an individual and in due course they find a way to pay it forward, and make a positive contribution to their communities and to Northern Ireland and the wider economy on their return.
“I wish all of our students safe travels, that they make the most of the opportunities that are coming their way and have a fantastic time.”
Study USA continues the British Council’s work, building connection, understanding and trust between people in the UK and overseas through arts, education and English language teaching. To find out more about the British Council’s work in Northern Ireland visit nireland.britishcouncil.org or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. To find out more about the programme, visit: studyusa
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An Accounting Lecturer from Newry has been announced as a winner of the Tutor of the Year Award at the International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) 49th annual awards.
Maura Quinn a lecturer at Southern Regional College picked up her award recently at a ceremony in the House of Commons.
The International Association of Bookkeepers is a global network of highly qualified and knowledgeable bookkeepers and finance professionals.
Quinn lectures within the Faculty of Professional Services, deserves special recognition for this award. She has demonstrated dedication, outstanding commitment, and service within the field of education.
She was recognised as a tutor who always goes above and beyond to support her students with their studies and who guides and motivates them to achieve the highest grades possible through their IAB qualifications. As a result, Maura received 14 separate nominations for the award, all of which were student nominations, which saw her receive the most nominations of any individual.
Quinn is no stranger to IAB awards, having previously won this same award in 2021 and was runner up in 2020. She said "Winning this award for the second year in a row and being recognised by my students is an honour. This was yet another challenging year, with disruptions to normal educational learning and changes to exam formats, but I still enjoyed tutoring because it is my passion. It brings me great pleasure to see my students succeed in their studies and careers”.
“It is an honour to be named IAB Tutor of the Year 2022, and I thank my students, peers, and the awarding body for this recognition."
Janet Jack, CEO at IAB stated "It is critical to recognise our bookkeeping and accounting professionals' hard work and dedication as good bookkeeping is the foundation of a successful and professional business environment. We believe that our awards benefit not only various businesses but also individuals by recognising their work and efforts they input into a vital service."
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In 2019, Southern Regional College announced Air Ambulance NI (AANI) as their official charity partner. The announcement saw a renewal of the partnership, as the organisation pledged to support the charity for another two years.
Air Ambulance NI is an important charity in Northern Ireland. They collaborate with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) and operate 365 days of the year to provide Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) across the region. On average, the charity responds to two individuals experiencing serious or life-threatening situations each day.
Each of the charity’s operational helicopters carries a crew comprising of a pilot, a doctor, and a paramedic, all of whom respond to traumatic medical incidents, delivering pre-hospital critical care.
SRC employees and students organised and participated in a variety of fundraising events during the three-year partnership in aid of AANI. The fundraising events included Corporate Day Raffles, Christmas Jumper Days, Sector Cycles, Fashion Shows, Red Week, and Coffee Mornings, just to name a few!
On Monday 4th July 2022, Amy Henshaw, a representative from Air Ambulance NI visited the Newry West Campus to officially acknowledge the exceptional work of all SRC employees and students over the previous three years as Brian Doran, CEO and Principal of Southern Regional College proudly presented a cheque for £21,000 to Air Ambulance NI.
Amy Henshaw, Regional Fundraising Coordinator for AANI thanked the SRC staff and students ‘Thank you so much to all the staff and students across all campuses at Southern Regional College for their hard work and determination in supporting Air Ambulance NI over these last few years.
"Throughout Covid, everyone remained so committed to virtually supporting the charity, and when it was safe to do so, everyone began organising and running a variety of events to raise much needed funds.
"We are truly delighted to have received £21,000 from events that ranged from marathons, fashion shows, and red days…. the list is endless. Through your outstanding contribution to the charity, you have kept the helicopter flying for almost 4 full days, which will potentially help 8 people in Northern Ireland who require emergency pre-hospital care.
"Thank you so much for your terrific fundraising efforts and enthusiasm.’’
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In June Southern Regional College hosted the Education Authority’s inaugural conference for Area Learning Community Coordinators (ALCS) at their Armagh Campus. The Area Learning Communities (ALCs) are an essential part of the infrastructure for post-primary education in Northern Ireland and play a paramount role in supporting schools by providing mechanisms which allow them to plan the curriculum that will be offered.
Averil Morrow, Interim Assistant Director at the Education Authority, opened the event with an introduction which emphasised the importance of the ALCs within the education system.
Brian Doran, Principal and CEO of Southern Regional College, welcomed representatives from the Department of Education, Department for the Economy, Education Training Inspectorate, and further education colleagues and industry representatives to the College.
The conference's focus was centred around supporting careers with representatives such as Dr Catherine O'Mullan, Chair of the Northern Ireland Further Education Sector Curriculum Directors' Working Group, who spoke about wide ranging opportunities available for 14 – 19-year-olds within Further Education.
Dr Deirdre Hughes, founder of Deirdre Mary Hughes (DMH) Associates, spoke about the outcomes of the 14-19 research, led by her organisation, and commissioned by the Department for the Economy which took a deep delve into careers service provision in NI. This research focused on transforming careers support for young people and adults in Northern Ireland. Dr Hughes gave an overview of the policies and practices that are currently in place within Northern Ireland.
Andrew Cattle from Cascaid, a careers education program, discussed Xello, a new and exciting careers software package for schools, aimed to equip students with knowledge, skills, and planning capabilities to navigate their future. Shane Martin, a chartered psychologist also spoke about the impact of the life restrictions in recent years and the psychology of renewal.
The aim of this event was to highlight research findings to enhance careers delivery for the young people of Northern Ireland.
Keith Kilpatrick, Director of Curriculum at SRC spearheaded the event and said “This conference is a fantastic opportunity to meet with the Area Learning Community Coordinators and reinforce the importance of their role in enabling greater choice and flexibility for our young people across the Southern Region. We will continue to enhance our strong partnerships across the Area Learning Communities and ensure that the FE Sector continues to develop innovative and creative approaches to collaborative working”.
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Saint Malachy’s Primary School Carnagat enjoyed a Nurturing week earlier this month.
Pupils and staff where treated to a Big Breakfast on the morning of June 9th followed by a pre-loved toy/book sale and a cake and bun sale on June 10th.
KS2 Children were able to participate in a bake off with the winners receiving a voucher for the Quays Newry.
The staff and pupils would like to thank all the local business who supported the events: Downey’s Butchers, Patrick Murphy & sons Butchers, William Baird’s Butchers, Feeley’s Fish and Chip Shop Carlingford, Spar Barcroft, Fiveways, Corn Dolly, The Shelbourne, The Sunray, Dunnes Stores, Supervalu Dublin Road, Supervalu Hill Street, The Velveteen Rabbit, Boyds Store Dundalk and Gavin Malone.
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Our Lady's Grammar School in Newry is one of ten schools in NI to participate in a new collaborative initiative which aims to empower future female leaders in education, was launched last night at an event in Danske Bank’s Belfast headquarters attended by schools, business people and local leaders.
The SistersIN Leadership Programme has been developed specifically to help sixth form girls build their confidence and broaden their career perspectives. Delivered over eight months, the programme includes bespoke leadership skills training, an in-school leadership project where pupils are able to gain real-life experience, and mentoring from leading females in business and society.
The programme has been developed by the charity SistersIN in partnership with foundation partners Danske Bank, the Education Authority and The James Kane Foundation, and collaboration partner, Women in Business.
The first phase kicks off in September through 10 schools across Northern Ireland, with ambitions to expand the programme to other schools in the future.
Speaking at the launch, Peter Dobbin, Principal of Assumption Grammar School Ballynahinch and Director of SistersIN called on businesses to get behind the initiative. He said:
“The SistersIN journey has the potential to transform the lives of young females by reaching them before they even start their careers - but to achieve this we need to work in partnership with businesses who can help us deliver and scale the programme. We’re looking for businesses who can provide mentors, job shadowing opportunities or funding support.
“It is our hope that, by bringing together some of the most influential people in industry, in education and in life in Northern Ireland, we can create and offer a unique experience to over 400 highly talented and ambitious girls who we have identified as potential future leaders.
“I’d like to welcome the Education Authority, Danske Bank and The James Kane Foundation as our Foundation Partners, and greatly appreciate their support.”
Dame Brenda King, Attorney General for Northern Ireland and Assumption Grammar alumnus, was the guest speaker at the launch event. She said:
“Building confidence and skills in our next generation of women as early as possible is key to developing our future female leaders. Working with real life local role models, the SistersIN initiative will demonstrate the wealth of options open to young women, providing them with the networks and practical skills to achieve their fullest potential. I strongly believe in the power of education to provide opportunity and transform lives and am hugely excited to see the programme expand to provide a bright future for all the participants.”
Aisling Press, Managing Director of Personal Banking at Danske Bank and Assumption Grammar alumnus added “I’m inspired by the vision and ambition of SistersIN to make a real difference in showing our girls that anything is possible and to play our part in enabling a greater representation of women into senior roles across diverse businesses and boards.
“I really believe SistersIN has the potential to scale and bring focus to leadership development, empowerment and belief as part of the education pathway and enable young women to thrive in their future careers. A key component is connecting the girls with business leaders to provide mentorship and build their network in the business community.”
So, we strongly encourage more local businesses to get involved and sign up to mentor the pupils to help them reach their full potential.”
The ten schools participating in 2022-23 are Our Lady’s Grammar School, Ashfield Girls High School, Assumption Grammar School, Glenlola Collegiate, St Cecilia’s College, St Genevieve’s High School, St Ronan’s College, Strathearn School, Thornhill College and Victoria College.
For more information contact the schools or visit www.sisters-IN.org
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Young people on the Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agencies, Work4Uplus2 programme (funded by the BIG lottery Community Fund) recently attended a graduation and activity day in Formula Karting at Greenbank in Newry to celebrate their many achievements throughout the year.
Pauline Coghlan, Work4Uplus2 programme manager, said: “We are very proud of the young people’s achievements this year, as they have experienced two years of disruption and isolations due to the COVID pandemic!
Those who could attend the event received their portfolios containing details of their achievements, with many of the young people gaining qualifications in ICT Level 1, Emergency First Aid, Food Hygiene in catering, The Hour of Code and many others.
We had six awards presented to young people for Full Attendance, and three special awards for those most improved since starting on Work4UPlus2
Everyone involved in the programme is very proud of the young people’s achievements and wish them every success with their future”.
The Work4UPlus2 programme encompasses a series of activities, funded by the Big Lottery, to help young people who need extra support and training to overcome the barriers that stop them getting into education, employment or training, or make it difficult to stay in them.
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A great fun day was had by all at yesterday's St Malachy's Primary School, Newry Sports Day held at the wonderful new facility of Thomas Davis GAC, Corrinshego.
Pupils, Teachers and Classroom Assistants all joined in the fun from 11am with some fierce competetive streaks displayed from quite a few of the pupils while proud parents looked on.
Between the Sack Race, the Egg and Spoon Race, running, pucking out, tennis, football and many other events there was no shortage of activity with everyone involved.
There was also plenty of snacks and refreshments on offer with a stall from the TEN Foundation selling schoolbags and other items.
Despite some showers of rain on the day it was the start of a great wind-down for all to the summer holidays in just a few weeks time.
Make sure you check out our photographs from the day below and if you want to order either a full resolution digital copy or a print feel free to use the shopping cart facility! Contat us on web@newry.ie if you have any difficulties
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