• Festivals

    Festivals are an enjoyable addition to the life of a community; they are a welcome break from the sometimes mundane run of the mill routine and offer us the opportunity to let our hair down.
     Read More

  • Sport

    Sport plays an important role in the life of a community.
    We have some great facilities and support and encourage all sports for all ages.
     Read More

  • Culture

    The promotion of the Irish Language is an important aspect of the West Armagh Consortium's aims and objectives.
     Read More
› ‹
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Contact us if you would like your business featured here - Please support our sponsors.

Contact us if you would like your business featured here - Please support our sponsors.

Contact us if you would like your business featured here - Please support our sponsors.

Contact us if you would like your business featured here - Please support our sponsors.

Mens Shed Armagh

calendar1

The Occasional Job

Welcome to West Armagh - About Us

Welcome to the West Armagh Consortium's website. We hope that you will find this both interesting and informative. We would like to take this opportunity to give the reader some background to us.

The West Armagh Consortium (WAC) was constituted in November 2002 as a voluntary amalgamation of local community groups from Armagh City West. As a non-sectarian and politically unaffiliated umbrella organisation, the Consortium welcomes affiliations from all new and existing community and voluntary groups in our catchment area. The groups currently affiliated represent districts within the three electoral wards of Abbey Park, Callanbridge and Downs.

READ MORE.....

Details

THIS IS A FREE SIX SESSION ONLINE COURSE IN MIND AWARENESS................. MORE INFORMATION BELOW POSTER

1 Change Your Mind 2Our mind is very powerful and it can push us forward in positive ways to achieve what we want in life, but it can also sabotage us and trap us into our Negative Automatic Thoughts that hold us back in self doubt and disbelief.  This 6 week course will look at how the Mind works, you will be given techniques on how to slow the mind down so that you can focus on what is important in your life so that you can move forward.  The course will be delivered via Zoom, using powerpoint, discussion and video.  You will not be asked to speak unless you want to, you can sit back, relax and take it all in with a cuppa and a notepad, in case you want to take notes.  We believe that this course will be very popular so please only express your interest if you are serious about attending.  We can only accept the first 30 expressions of interest.  If you are too late or unable to attend we will collect names for a reserve list for the next course.

Details

Yoga with strap

Details

Should anyone require help in accessing this support programme, please contact the consortium on the usual numbers. We can assist you to get logged on or provide you with the necessary equipment should you require it.HSC West Armagh Chronic Pain Flyer 5pm

Details

Picture1.png  Always eager to exploit people fears and concerns, scammers are busy targeting among other things the Coivid-19 pandemic. It is a sad reflection that while so many are willing to help, there are those who only see it as an oportuning to make  'easy money'. 

Below is a copy of an email sent by scammers only too willing to exploit the Covid -19 vaccine programme.  As you can see, it looks pretty legit

 

1 NHS COVID Scam

 

The link will take you to the scammers but the important message here is that: NHS WILL NEVER ASK FOR MONEY OR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS IN RELATION TO COVID VACCINES

Be aware that this scam could easily be adapted for telephones also.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another scam involves the scammers pretending to be from the police 

POLICE IMPERSONATION SCAM

FRAUDULANT PHONE CALLS ARE BEING MADE TO OLDER PEOPLE FROM PERSONS CLAIMING TO BE A POLICE OFFICER. THEY ASK THE VICTIM TO ATTEND THE BANK TO WITHDRAW CASH STATING THAT POLICE WILL COME AND COLLECT THE MONEY OR INSTRUCT THEM TO LEAVE BANK CARDS WITH PIN NUMBERS OR OTHER VALUABLES OUT FOR COLLECTION BY POLICE. THIS WILL BE USED TO WITHDRAW MONEY. THIS IS UNDER THE PRETENCE THAT THEY ARE INVOLVED IN AN INVESTIGATION

POLICE WILL NEVER ASK FOR MONEY, BANK CARDS, PIN NUMBER OR VALUABLES. THIS IS A SCAM.

IF YOU ARE UNSURE THAT A CALL FROM POLICE IS GENUINE, END THE CALL. CALL POLICE ON 101 TO CONFIRM THE PHONE CALL OR TO REPORT THIS. DO THIS FROM A DIFFERENT PHONE IF POSSIBLE OR ENSURE THAT THE LINE IS CLEAR BEFORE CALLING 101.

For info – to ensure a line is clear, phone a trusted person between calls, someone whose voice you are familiar with.

Details

The ten year census will be taken up in March this year. For community groups and individuals in general it is important as the information recorded on the census is used to project public spending and the allocation of services and resources, such as schools healthacre etc. It can also be used to determine bounderies for areas of social need and demographic changes in the population. It is much more than a simple head count.

1 Census Workshops 3

Details

 West Armagh Consortium logo    Do you live in a NRA in Armagh, Craigavon or Newry? Or in a rural location within ABC or NMD council areas? Are you on low income?

We are currently taking names for the course below to commence late February. This will be delivered partially online, partially face-to-face when Covid19 restrictions allow.

LEVEL 2 AWARD CCTV OPERATIONS (PUBLIC SPACE SURVEILLANCE)

Are there any entry requirements?

For all SIA courses learners need to have a minimum of a Level 2 in English Literacy. These qualifications can only be undertaken by learners aged 18yrs old or over.

Criminal Records Check

The participant will have to complete an Access NI Standard Check so the SIA can decide if they are suitable to hold a Security Licence.

Contact the Community Development Officer in your area for more information

Craigavon NRA Jim

Armagh NRA Gerard

Newry NRA and all rural areas Lesley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 07841 102846

Details

CAIRDE Teo have teamed up with ABC Council’s Neighbourhood Renewal Team to provide free classes for children and adults resident within Armagh Neighbourhood Renewal Area. The  Classes will start on 28/01/21.

Community Renewal Junior @ 18:00 - 19:00

Community Renewal Adult @ 19:00 - 20.00

Start date: Thursday 28th January

Duration: 10 weeks

Registration:

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEpYLVv9UWbTMX7wltKLtWACbjN5Q8wIF8iBGDQz4Uac6FQw/viewform?usp=send_form

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details

SECURITY TRAINING

The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry.  There are a number of occupations that need a licence to practice.  These include;

  • Door Supervisor (Which allows the participant to engage in any Security work)
  • CCTV Operator

Individuals who wish to work in these areas of security must first engage in training, gain the appropriate qualification, apply to the SIA and visit the Post Office to ascertain identity. They then need to complete a standard check through Access NI. (W.A.C. is a Registered Body for applying for Access NI Standard and Enhanced Checks) Once they have completed all these stages, they will be sent their badge, which will allow them to take up employment in the relevant sector.  It is a criminal offence to work with the licence.

Details

All counselling sessions are conducted in line with Covid -19 social distancing requirements.

Free Counselling HLC xx

Details

1 TAKE500WebBanner

WHAT IS TAK£500?

Tak£500 is a Participatory Budgeting process which means that local people get to decide how public funds are used to address needs in their area.  Community Planning Partners have pooled their resources to fund community projects.

Communities can apply for up to £500 for a project they think will benefit their area – and best of all, it is the local residents who decide which projects should go ahead!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

You can apply for up to £500 to pay for things such as online activities, equipment, events, tutors, venue hire and other innovative ideas.*

All ideas must be based around the ‘Take 5 Ways of Wellbeing’. These are five simple steps to help maintain and improve your wellbeing on a daily basis..

  • Both constituted groups and non-constituted groups can apply for funding.
  • There must be a minimum of three people per group
  • Children and young people aged eight and above can also form a group and apply for funding. If you are under 18 you will need an Adult Sponsor to support your application and to help develop and deliver your idea. 
  • If your group is not constituted, you will need to be sponsored by a constituted group or organisation.

The West Armagh Consortium can assist any group that wishes to can apply, and any group can apply, communiry groups, focus groups, even groups forming specifically for their project. We would encourage all groups to uptake this programme. It is aimed at supporting small community based projects with the added advantage that the community itself decides what projects should be supported. Although the amount is small ( in relation to other pots of funding) nevertheles there is a consdesble overall pot that will allow many groups to revieve support. We are working with partners including ABC. For further details on the programmes follow   www.armaghbanbeidgecraigavon.gov.uk/Take500 

 

 

 

Details

The Shake Off The Lockdown programme began this week with the Mullacreevie Multi Use Games Area hosting the first of the areobic dance sessions. Organised by the West Aramgh Consortium working in conjuncion with local community groups the programme will run throughout the month of August. There was a high number of children who turned out for the sessions and mixing dance and some exercises, it certainly blew away the cobwebs. The dance instructor Joanne Mullen from JoJo Dance said that she was impressed by the skill of many of the dancers.

To promote the programme local community groups distributed leaflets . As in line with the Covid-19 regulation everyone has to be registered , name and contact details. By and large the weather wasn't too bad though Friday was definated worse of the two days. There will be another three weeks of the programme and weather permitting it will follow the same schedule as this week.

Longstone 1

Shake Off The Lockdown in Longstone

Details

The West Armagh Consortum will be delivering  yoga classes for long term pain sufferers from Monday 27th July 2020 in the WAC Healthy Living Centre, Sherrys Field Recreational Centre. Start time is 10.00am the class will speacilaise in chair yoga and unlike previous classes we have not set a cut off date and hope to keep the classes going for as long as required by participants. There will be a small charge of £2 for these classes and they are open to both men and women. There are still spaces available for the class. Contact Nora at WAC office or Stephen on 07759949314

chair yoga in rishikul yogshala e1481901505504

Details

For the past 10 weeks the Armagh Covid-19 Community Response Group has been operating a help package programme. They have decided that it is now time to access the sitution and hav isued the following statement and have included it in thi weeks help packages.

8th June 2020 LAST WEEK

Dear Recipient, We hope that you and your family are coping well in the current crisis. As a recipient of our help packages you will be aware of the brilliant work of our volunteers in making and distributing these help packages. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge that.

This is now our tenth week into this action and have delivered in excess of 1100 packages. The circumstance of most of the families and individuals on our list has thankfully improved since the early days of the crisis which now necessitates that we review our action. We have decided that this will be the last week at we will be making deliveries using our current list. However, should you still fall within the categories that we were using then please contact us and will continue to assist.

Those categories are:

• Loss of income meaning a significant loss of household income due to being made unemployed or a reduction in your ability to earn. This includes people who have been forced to make benefit claims and are waiting within the system for the determination to be made. (This can take 6week+)

• This does not include individuals currently within the benefit system and receiving payments. It is not possible to include everyone on benefits or in receipt of pensions.

• People forced to self-isolate due to health reasons with little or no family support net. (This may not entail a help package but rather our buddy-up system)

• Other extenuating circumstances can be taken into consideration and can be discussed.

It needs to be noted that we will be not be working from our current list so if you feel that you still need our assistance you must contact us through the publicised numbers. 07763818393 or 07759949314.

While there appears to be a relaxing in the current restrictions, it would be premature to assume that the crisis has passed. The Armagh Covid-19 Community Response Group will continue to work to assist people who are suffering hardship due to the pandemic. We will continue to assist for as long as our resources will permit.

Please take care and be safe. Remember to observe the social distancing regulations. Please also observe any new guidelines that may come into effect regarding changes to the lockdown.

Yours Sincerely

The Armagh Covid-19 Community Response Group.

  

Details

Two charities benefited from the West Armagh Community Festival's fun raising venture that saw a number of hardy community activists climb Slieve Donard to hold a poc fada.£3,173.58 was raised and was divided evenly betwen the Lord Mayors Charity Fund and Lisanally Special School. Stephen Fields from West Armagh Consortium presented one of the cheques to the Lord Mayor Cllr, Mealla Campbell while John Fields presented  the other cheque for Lisanally Special School to Eileen McCann.

1 Poc Fada 001 

Details

What is Social Prescribing? It is a communinty approach to health and well being.SPRING is the Healthy Living Alliances' Social Prescribing Programme being delivered through its network of Healthy Living Centres.The West Armagh Consortium Healthy Living Centre,based at Sherrys Sports Complex is part of that network and where our local SPRING social prescriber is based.Social Prescribing Poster

Details

The West Armagh Cosortium will be offering a free counselling service starting in early January. Counselling covers a wide range of issues and by its very nature is tailored to the clients individual needs.The service will be strictly managed in line with recognised and approved proceedures and protocols.Details of this srvice are contained within the poster below. Contact Emma to book an appointment.

1 Counselling Emma

Details

We are indebted to Martin McCann for the video monatge of the St.Patricks Day Parade.Please follow the link below.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F325317110%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR20Cd-

cj1WMiv8vGL6tbX-Ca5GtKeV74aXGWeZZNmBrxZQnik97Bu2Od14&h=

AT3RtwFzhHNWVhbNFvenrtLEb5SZEyAWVKwyDsFjRMh4PBPgpT4XoR5xcPTdu

6DDJCryxZOupeayK01XvceI7fdmoAgpYtI3jNnFg4Wvvbp4aMn_

rwjyrIHbSiCvsUQWyUT9oVQHbhC--lJ9X0RClA

 

 

 

Details

There was a wee grey toy rabbit lost during Sundays parade. It was lost around the Charlemount area. It is a childs' comforter  . If anyone knows anything about this can the get in touch. 07759949314.

In a follow up to this story, there is a happy ending. The grey rabbit was handed in at the Shambles Yard were the council had organised a family day. A council worker took it to lost and found and when she seen our social media posts contacted the consortium. We are pleased to say that rabbit and child have been reunited, much to the relief of the child's parents, who said  that 'it restores you faith in human nature when your realised that someone made the effort to return the toy'   

Details

St.Patricks Day Parade Armagh

The streets of Armagh were thronged with people who came out to enjoy the community parade organised in response to the ABC Councils decision to change its own St. Patricks Day Procession. Lead by a flag party consisting to 25 national flags and walking behind the St. Patricks Flag, the parade made it way through the streets for its finishing point at Sherry Field Sports Complex. Even the odd shower of rain couldn't dampen people’s spirits who can out in their droves to both spectate and walk in the parade.

The organisers have thanked everyone who helped out with the organising of the parade and the many individuals and business who donated money that was used put the parade over. Speaking on behalf of the organising group, Stephen Fields said “The response to the news that the council had changed the St. Patricks Day parade has been phenomenal. The community stepped up to the plate and came out in force. This was very evident in both the turnout and the volunteers who helped out in every way. This included  the making of flags/bunting, the donations of materials, the stewards, messages of support and willingness to be involved. Due to the complete lack of consultation on the part of the council (council has still not responded to our initial letter), we only had just over 4 weeks to organise this parade and it could not have been done without this support. A big thank you to all and all credit is due to the community.

Flags at St.Patrick Day

“Sundays parade was an example of inclusiveness. We sought to include as many as possible and to do so in a festive and community spirited manner. Numerous people have thanked WAC and the organising group for putting on the parade, but the real thanks goes to the people who by their actions over the weekend completely vindicated our decision to go ahead and organised the parade in response to the council’s disgraceful decision to change the day.”

It has been described as one of the biggest and colourful parades in years going back to the time when the community used to organise monster parades through the town. Those parades were at a time when the council hardly recognised St. Patricks Day but eventually through constant pressure from local representatives the council began to take the day onboard. However, that has not been a smooth journey, they  have almost been dragged kicking and screaming to the conclusion that as a public body they should be supportive of everybody's expressions of culture and views. Nevertheless and even to this day, they  have sought to mitigate against the parade and any sense of Irishness . Their choice in bunting omits the recognised colours of green and white. They have a lengthy list of pre-conditions for those wanting to take part in the parade , so much so, that in recent years there has been very little community buy in. This in turn has forced the council to rely more and more on professional street performers. While such acts are very colourful, they alone cannot command the support and widespread community participation.

images/2019/170319-141.jpg

St.Pats Crowd

For more picture follow READ MORE

Details

Polish Party

It was smiley faces all round at the childrens' party held in Sherrys recently marking  the end of Carnival . The party was organised by our local polish group POLACY to mark the end of Carnival which is  a pre-Lenten event. Such events are traditional in many countries and there are many similarities in how this time is marked.

The Polish Carnival season includes Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek), when pączki (doughnuts) are eaten, and Śledzik (Shrove Tuesday) or Herring Day. The Tuesday before the start of Lent is also often called Ostatki (literally "leftovers"), meaning the last day to party before the Lenten season.

The traditional way to celebrate Carnival is the kulig, a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the snow-covered countryside. In modern times, Carnival is increasingly seen as an excuse for intensive partying. As can be seen from our pictures,everyone certainly enjoyed the event.

Polish Party at Sherrys

 

enbgzh-CNcsetgaltplptroruuk

Latest News

  • Change Your Mind....Change Your Mood. +

    THIS IS A FREE SIX SESSION ONLINE COURSE IN MIND AWARENESS................. MORE INFORMATION BELOW POSTER Our mind is very powerful… Read More

  • YOGA FOR ALL +

    Read More

  • Beware of Scammers +

      Always eager to exploit people fears and concerns, scammers are busy targeting among other things the Coivid-19 pandemic. It… Read More

  • Chronic Pain Support Programme Goes Online +

    Should anyone require help in accessing this support programme, please contact the consortium on the usual numbers. We can assist… Read More

  • Why Is The Census Important? +

    The ten year census will be taken up in March this year. For community groups and individuals in general it… Read More

  • FREE COUNSELLING SERVICE +

    All counselling sessions are conducted in line with Covid -19 social distancing requirements. Read More

  • TAK£500 Lets The Community Decide. +

    WHAT IS TAK£500? Tak£500 is a Participatory Budgeting process which means that local people get to decide how public funds… Read More

  • Shake Off The Lockdown +

    The Shake Off The Lockdown programme began this week with the Mullacreevie Multi Use Games Area hosting the first of… Read More

  • Covid -19 Update +

    For the past 10 weeks the Armagh Covid-19 Community Response Group has been operating a help package programme. They have… Read More

  • Chair Yoga For Long Term Pain Sufferers +

    The West Armagh Consortum will be delivering  yoga classes for long term pain sufferers from Monday 27th July 2020 in… Read More
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
› ‹

Registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC100377

© Copyright The West Armagh Consortium. Site by NetStretch Web Design Armagh.