Is Portadown town centre thriving or declining?
We spoke with the Chairperson of Portadown Chamber of Commerce to find out more...
Good morning! Welcome to the Armagh I newsletter, which drops into your inbox every Tuesday and Friday morning.
Portadown is truly a town with a character like no other. Once known as the ‘Hub of the North’, anyone who grew up in the town will undoubtedly have untold stories of the many quirky characters and businesses that have called the town home over the years.
For a perfect illustration of this, look no further than the Portadown ''Back In The Day'' Facebook group.
The group boasts just shy of 15,000 members - and for good reason - being a treasure trove of historical memories and tidbits.
A frequent point of discussion in the group is that of local independent retailers - and the consensus is bleak.
Recent weeks saw the departure of a number of much-loved Portadown independents, such as McQuillan’s Menswear, who have been a permanent fixture in the town for 60 years.
Read more: Blow for Portadown as well-known independent announces high street departure
In a bid for more clarity on the situation, Armagh I met with Adrian Farrell, the Chairperson of the Portadown Chamber of Commerce, to ask for his take on the current situation.
Adrian’s take was one of optimism, highlighting the recent investment that Portadown has enjoyed.
READ OUR STORY HERE: ‘Town centres are changing and we’re adapting’ says Portadown Commerce Chairperson
Indeed, it was hard to argue with what Adrian was saying. We met him in town at 11am on a Tuesday morning (typically off-peak hours) and as Adrian told us in our report: “the car parks tell a story”.
As we sat in a packed Café Nero, in a newly refurbished plaza just outside the High Street Mall, we couldn’t help but notice that every car park in town was filled with cars. There were also a number of high-profile businesses in the immediate vicinity, such as Lidl, B&M and Lynas Foods.
Adrian’s argument was that vacant properties are turning over quickly.
He said: “If you look at that Lidl investment, at B&M’s investment, the landlord’s investment in High Street Mall and the investment in Meadow Lane – people are putting their money where their mouth is and investing in our town centre.”
While Portadown is undoubtedly seeing an influx of these bigger chains, including; Tim Hortons, Nugelato and more, the question remains - could more be done to help our local independent retailers?
Headlines
⚖️ Man accused of frenzied knife attacks in Lurgan told police ‘I attempted to kill them people’
🍕 End of an era looms for Moy Road ‘takeaway’ building as apartments planned instead
⚖️ Man who seriously attacked four police officers refused bail
📸 In Pictures: Borough’s most inspirational athletes honoured at Junior Sports Awards 2023
⚰️ Funeral held in Newry for late Arthur Ruddy – a founding father of the SDLP
💷 Keady youth club receive €5k from Coca Cola ‘Thank You’ fund
☕ Full steam ahead for Starbucks drive-thru in Banbridge as approval granted
🔥 One car destroyed and second damaged during early morning arson attack in Keady
🛝 Call for existing play parks to be better looked after as talks due to plan further facilities
⚖️ Man accused of stealing £1,000 worth of goods from Sainsbury’s in Armagh
📸 In Pictures: Palestine solidarity rally in Armagh – DUP set to table Israel support motion
⚖️ Portadown man sentenced for shotgun murder of Stephen Barriskill
Armagh Jobs
✅ T. H. Jenkinson Armagh require an Office Clerk.
✅ KonFloor require a Concrete Labourer and Junior / Trainee Estimator.
✅ Salley’s Restaurant in Aughnacloy require a Pastry Chef.
✅ Mount Charles have several vacancies available.
✅ Armagh City Hotel require a Night Porter and part time Fitness Instructor.
✅ ASEE are recruiting for a number of roles which can be found here.
✅ McElmeel Mobility Services are offering a number of exciting opportunities.
🛎️ If you have a job and want to advertise it to 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.
Notice Board
🍲Christian Aid Lunches | Armagh Road Presbyterian Church Hall | Second Wednesday of every month | noon - 1.30pm | £3.00 | Soup, bread and cheese lunch | The local committee has raised over £50,000 for the charity in its 50 years existence and the chair, Mrs Moyra Stirling, is again appealing for support.
🍳Family Breakfast | Edenderry Presbyterian Church | Saturday, October 21 | 8am - 11am | Fourth Portadown Boys' Brigade are holding a Family Breakfast in aid of Company Funds in First Presbyterian Church Hall, Watson Street, Portadown.
🎃Lá Teaghlaigh na Samhna | Aonach Mhacha | Saturday October 28 | 2pm to 5pm | Aonach Mhacha and the Armagh Rhymers are inviting boys and ghouls to a bilingual Halloween family fun day. Admission is free to the fun day which will consist of workshops with the Armagh Rhymers, an art workshop, music in Irish from other local musicians, games, and competitions!
💚🤍Green and White fundraising Night | Trainor’s Bar at Dan’s Bessbrook | Saturday November 4 | In aid of Micéal Lynch who fell ill while on holiday in Crete with his wife, Jennifer. More details here.
⛪ No Greater Love | Wednesday November 8 - Sunday November 12 | Armagh Elim Church | Armagh Elim will have a service each night for children, ladies, men, youth and the Sunday will be a day for the whole family. As a church, they simply want to share a message of hope to people that they are loved by God.
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