Are our town centres becoming a cold house for the elderly?
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Curiosity and dread filled our office as we peered over the letter addressed to ‘Armagh I, Barrack Street’. Oddly, there was no number 8, but hats off to the postie who got it through our letterbox regardless. I suppose it was enough. We opened it, and it was as we feared, t’was a complaint!
Alas, on this occasion, it wasn’t someone giving off about our reporting (that never, ever happens anyway…)! But it was a genuine concern from a Bank of Ireland customer who witnessed a rather unpleasant exchange in the Armagh city centre branch the Friday beforehand, whereby an elderly lady ending up walking away in tears. We have the story here. The incident was so disheartening the person felt the need to highlight it with ourselves.
But it begs the question: Is the High Street becoming more a cold house for the elderly?
The aforementioned incident surrounds the decay of high-street banking and the rush to online systems as banks continue to close their bricks and mortar operations en masse. The elderly lady in question, sadly, is one of the many victims of this drive towards digitalisation. It would be remiss of me not to point out the irony of being a digital-only platform in an age where newspapers are fast following the fate of the banks.
The demography of the high street is changing and you can see that in places like Armagh, Newry, Portadown and Lurgan. On one hand there is a big push towards town centre living, but is there enough being done to welcome the elderly into these town centres outside of housing schemes. Post Offices, newsagents, florists, and fruit and veg stores were once focal points; cash was king – but the future looks very different and many elderly are being left behind.
That’s before we even begin to concern ourselves with the fear of walking through town centres beyond the hours of 5pm. The nighttime economy is a phrase often bandied about but what is actually being done to improve it? Our ageing population have a big part to play. Make the high street work for older people and it can work for everyone. Let us know your thoughts..
Headlines
⚖️ Youth deemed ‘extremely violent’ fails in compassionate bail bid
🪧 Staff at Armagh’s SRC campus begin walkout in dispute over pay
⚖️ Man who exposed himself to lone female in Peatlands Park spared prison
😳 State of Armagh Mill Field pitch ’embarrassing’ as volunteers forced to clean prior to match
⚖️ ‘Unpredictable’ son jailed for visiting ‘intimidated’ mother despite restraining order
🏃♂️ Waringstown dad diagnosed with arthritis in 2020 smashes Belfast Half-Marathon
🕰️ Famous and historic Banbridge clocktower to be lovingly restored to halt further decay
🏒 New all-ability sport Inline Sled Hockey launches in Armagh
⚖️ Four men from Newry and Poyntzpass accused of cultivating cannabis
🍕 Domino’s cooking up plans for new restaurant at Newry shopping centre
🎤 Co Armagh teen secures semi-final spot in Irish Junior Eurovision
🚓 Man struck in stomach after shots fired at property in Meigh
News from elsewhere
⚖️ Armagh man Eoin Patrick Grimley sent a private explicit picture of his ex to a chat group. The 32-year-old was handed a combination order of two years’ probation and 100 hours’ community service. The judge said: “This is a terrible and despicable act which you compounded by going to the victim’s house and carrying out an attack on her property. More on this story here.
⚖️ County Armagh man James Flynn was found guilty of breaking into a house and stealing the keys of a car which was used two days later in the armed robbery and subsequent murder of Detective Adrian Donohoe in Lordship, Co Louth in January 2013. However, the 32-year-old was found not guilty of the robbery in which the 41-year-old detective – and father-of-two – lost his life. More on this story here.
Armagh Jobs
✅ Cross Refrigeration require a Cad/BIM Technician reporting to Project Director.
✅ Fairlawns Nursing Home require a Senior Care Assistant for Night Duty.
✅ The Deluxe Group are seeking to recruit Joiners for their Themed Attractions Team.
✅ ABL Group Commercial Insurance and Risk Advisors are recruiting for a Trainee Commercial Account Handler.
✅ Clearway Group Portadown require an HGV Mechanic and Welder/Fabricator.
✅ Armagh City Hotel require a Receptionist, food service staff and staff for breakfast service.
🛎️ If you have a job and want to advertise it 40,000 daily users on www.armaghjobs.com, www.armaghi.com, as well as almost 8,000 people on this newsletter and our 100,000 social media followers, get in touch.
Plus…
Middletown Centre for Autism appoint Stephen Douthart as new CEO
Co Armagh woman appointed CEO of Belfast-based digital marketing agency
Notice Board
🎶🎻European Folk Day | Saturday September 23 | 2pm - 5pm | Aonach Mhacha | Free Entry | Celebrate the first ever European Folk Day at Aonach Mhacha, Armagh. The event features traditional music, song, storytelling and games with lots of fun for the whole family!
🏥Let’s Talk Coeliac Disease! | Saturday September 23 | 10am - 12pm | Brownlow Community Hub, Craigavon | The Southern Trust are hosting a Paediatric Coeliac Event aimed at children and young people living with a diagnosis of Coeliac disease. On the day you will have an opportunity to chat with local suppliers from the Southern Trust area, take part in cookery sessions and meet others living with the disease.
🎂 50th and 80th Anniversary Celebrations | Sunday, September 24 | 3pm | St. Mark’s Church of Ireland | 2023 is a special year for 1st Killylea Guides and Brownies. The Girl Guides will celebrate their 80th year in Killylea while the Brownies celebrate their 50th year open. A service of thanksgiving will be held in St Mark's Church with tea to follow in the church hall.
🏫 Darkley Primary 90th Anniversary | Thursday, September 28 | 4-8pm. Were you or a family member a past pupil? Come experience the school's warm welcome and their displays, photos and classes. Take a trip down memory lane as you are transported back in time, witnessing a classroom 90 years ago verses a classroom of today.
🌼 Daisy Dander | Gosford Forest Park | Saturday, September 30 at 2PM | Tickets and more info here.
Want to include a free event listing to almost 8,000 of our newsletter readers? Get in touch by simply replying to this email or, if you haven’t received this via your inbox, email us at info@armaghi.com.