'Tis the season...but not for one homeless man in Armagh
Welcome to the Armagh I newsletter, which falls into your inbox every Tuesday and Friday mornings. This Friday morning is a special one, as we begin the countdown to the big day! - ps. be sure to subscribe below 👇
Good morning! It’s Friday, December 1 - and you all know what that means…
It seems like Christmas has started much earlier this year than usual. It wasn’t long after Halloween that we started noticing trees and decorations going up here and there.
That quickly turned into a deluge and before we knew it most towns and villages were kitted out for the festive season, with the finishing touches going up over the next few days.
Unfortunately, this time of year brings with it the cold weather and here in Armagh, the last few days have been absolutely baltic!
It came to our attention on Thursday that a homeless man was spending his last day in November sitting on the ice-old pavement in Market Square. We spoke to the Simon Community in Armagh, who said the central line should be contacted for availability.
We then went up to check in on him, provide him with the Simon Community emergency contact number and a spot of warm lunch.
He told us that he sleeps between hostels and the street, surviving on £48 pounds per week. Public support had been good and he was very grateful to anyone who spared change or a cup of tea or coffee. Small gestures that make a big difference to his day.
Aside from the frosty weather, December always brings with it a spirit of giving.
Yesterday we covered an initiative by St Patrick’s Primary School in Armagh, who are giving free Christmas dinners to all pupils at the school. After a brutal year with a huge increase in the cost-of-living, such a small gesture is sure to have a big impact!
Read more: Armagh primary school covering cost of all pupils’ Christmas dinners
There’s also plenty of events and fundraisers taking place this year (see notice board below) to help not only boost the Christmas cheer, but provide aid for those in need.
While a time of happiness for many of us, Christmas can be a difficult period for some of those less fortunate, so it’s important that while we take this time to rest and enjoy ourselves, we remember those in need and the really vital work being done by local charities and volunteers.
Have you any good Christmas news stories taking place in your community? Get in touch with us at info@armaghi.com, we’d love to hear from you!
Missing Wedding Band in Armagh
We've been contacted by a distraught lady who's mother-in-law has lost her wedding band of 48 years somewhere in Armagh city.
Her husband has since passed away and this item is of huge sentimental value!
We have been advised that this lady was in St Malachy's Chapel, Poundland and Lidl between the times of 3.30pm and 4pm on Tuesday afternoon.
It's a gold band and includes an engraving of a date and names.
If you come across this item please leave it in with us at 8 Barrack Street (Armagh I office) and we can pass it on to the owner.
Headlines
👮♂️ £20,000 reward for information on 'brutal and senseless' murder of Newry man Mark Lovell
📖 Newry woman's book aims to shed light on 'legal misconduct and injustice' in NI
⚖️ Dismantling the Essex lorry conspiracy as Caledon haulier handed seven year jail sentence
🌊 Secretary of State for Northern Ireland visits Portadown to assess flood recovery plans
⚖️ Insufficient grounds to appeal sex offender child cruelty sentencing say PPS
🕳️ Shock figures reveal £356,000 paid in claims in a year due to state of borough roads
🏎️ Newtown residents say speeding could leave someone ‘seriously hurt or worse’
🚓 Woman with provisional licence had ‘slurred’ speech after RTC in Armagh
📈 Subway to open in Rushmere as Craigavon shopping centres sees footfall soar
🫁 Co. Armagh grandfather backs calls for early-stage lung cancer screening
👮♂️ Armagh police officer sacked over unauthorised computer access handed fines in court
⚖️ Man extradited from Poland back to Newry to face rape, sexual assault and assault charges
🏥 Daisy Hill consultant admits sterilising woman without permission and medical need
🗞️ Personal tributes paid in Council chamber after devastating loss of young life on our roads
🛤️ Major work on Belfast-Portadown rail line to be carried out over Christmas
😔 Tributes paid after Scarva nurse recognised in 2022 Queen’s Honours passes away
Armagh Jobs
🆕 Armagh Timber Products require Pallet Makers
🆕 P.I.P.S. Hope and Support require a Counselling Coordinator to be based in Newry.
🆕 Mount Charles require several Cleaning Operatives for Game of Thrones Studios Banbridge.
✅Armagh City Hotel require Temporary Seasonal Staff.
✅ Re-Gen Waste have require a Construction Coordinator and General/QC Operatives.
✅ Armagh City Hotel require a Kitchen Porter and Fitness Instructor.
🛎️ If you have a job and want to advertise it to 40,000 daily users on www.armaghjobs.com and www.armaghi.com, as well as more than 8,000 people on this newsletter and our 100,000 social media followers, get in touch.
Notice Board
☂️ Mary Poppins Edwardian Christmas Festival & Market | Friday, December 1 | 6-9PM | Brownlow Castle, Lurgan | 26 stalls in total, plus various Christmas workshops | Entry: £5 adult and £2 children | All proceeds going towards supporting the Knitted Knockers health and wellbeing centre.
🎤 Christmas Carols at St Mark’s Church, Portadown | Friday, December 1 | 8pm | With Portadown Ladies Choir, Portadown Male Voice Choir and Guest Soloists Aimee Campbell(Soprano) and Eugene O'Hagan (Tenor).
👕 Pre-Loved Market | Hosted by Second Hand Sal | Market House, Main Street, Middletown | Thursday December 7 | 6pm | Clothing, shoes and accessories. Raffles prizes on the night with all proceeds going to Alzheimer's NI.
🎄Armagh City Choir Christmas Concert | St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral | Friday December 8 | 7.30pm | £10 admission, pay at door or tickets available from choir members. The Christmas Festive period is approaching, and Armagh City Choir is preparing for its Annual Christmas Concert. “We may not be Santa’s Little Helpers, but we do our best to help create a festive spirit for Armagh city and surrounding areas.”
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.