Uniforms: Staying in the black as the kids go back

Plus, legal battle over £2.5m community centre's leaky roof; go-ahead for state-of-the-art school...

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The countdown is officially on until the kids return to school and we parents get our limited freedoms back.

Hold the applause… for with the return comes considerable financial outlay. Uniforms!

To get an idea of the situation this year, we spoke with a city-centre uniform retailer, Lila’s who advised us that, unfortunately, uniforms have – like food, gas and electric – gone up in price.

The increase varies per item. Some are up 4 - 5% with others receiving a heftier hike of around 20%. Mark, owner of Lila’s, advised Armagh I that there’s really no rhyme or reason, from what they can see, for some items being more affected than others.

Whilst the initial expenditure can be overwhelming, Mark made the valid point that “a uniform is one of the best value purchases you can make in a year”. Provided the items don’t get lost (which they often do in my house, despite the intense labelling effort) they get more wear than many everyday items of clothing.

Armagh City Vineyard have also partnered with Armagh foodbank to organise a series of pre-loved school uniform drop off and collection days just a few doors down from our office on Barrack Street.

What has the back-to-school cost been like for you this year? We would also love to hear of anyways you have reduced the cost or tips on how to avoid shelling out on unnecessary items…

Headlines

💧 A £2.5m community centre in Keady has been suffering with a leaky roof months after it opened to wide acclaim in 2015. A legal battle has ensued between the architect and the contractors on the fault of the leak. A meeting on the issue will take place next week…

🏫 Plans for a new-look state-of-the-art Prep School building at the Royal School Armagh have been given the go-ahead. And a new Sixth Form Centre will also be built at the College Hill site.

⛪ Mass-goers have been asked for their “ideas” on how to help balance the books after Newry Parish confirmed it was over £1.2 million in debt. The call came as the Parish Finance Council released its annual financial statement, which gave a picture of the state of affairs as of New Year’s Eve past.

Plus,

⚖️ Man spat on ambulance worker when found unconscious on towpath

🚧 Blow as Armagh link roads not included on Department’s priority list

🚓 Suspected drink driver arrested in Armagh crash which left one man hospitalised

🐕 Pets rescued from Armagh house fire after neighbour flags down police

🗞️ Firm with site in Portadown announces plans for 120 new jobs after £3.5m investment

⚖️ Armagh man said ‘I’m going to f***ing kill him’ and tried to break into property

🚨 House in Dromintee broken into in broad daylight

⚖️ Portadown spitter accused injured party of ‘setting him up’ to be assaulted

Watch:

Mum-of-three, Colleen McConville, along with her husband Ciaran, has long been frustrated with what they deem to be a lack of support in Northern Ireland for children with additional education needs.

Having two young sons, both with additional needs, highlighted to the pair that something needed to change.

In this video, Colleen discusses the incentive to create a sensory-safe space in Armagh, moving from a smaller unit to a multi-room, interactive space in the heart of the city and her dreams and ambitions for their new venture, Sensory Xperience.

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