Rock pool readied for another year
Newcastle’s famous rock pool is being prepared for another year of family fun. The workmen and diggers have moved in to dredge out the silt, sediment and sludge which has gathered in the sea-water pool since last summer.
The pool, which has been operating every summer since 1933, will be open again this July and August for swimming and life-saving lessons and should, by then, look a little more at its best.
Junior swim £1.50
Adult swim £2.00
Junior season ticket (unlimited use) £25.00
Adult season ticket (unlimited use) £38.00
Junior lessons £3.00
Bronze Medallion (16+ years) £8.00
Bronze Medallion (under 16 years) £5.00
Life saving lessons £4.00
Rookies £4.00
10 session ticket £15.00
One we made earlier…
Grab your bucket and spade for a brilliant day on the beach this Saturday, as Northern Ireland Water try to encourage people to take better care of Newcastle strand.
An expert sandcastle builder is set to create a fantastic sculpture and then children (and the young at heart) will have a chance to show off their own sandcastle skills. There are prizes!
Prior to the sandcastle competition there will be a beach clean-up at 10am, a great opportunity for Newcastle residents to show some love for the strand.
Beach Clean-up
Where: Meet at Promenade Car Park beside the Percy French at the entrance to Slieve Donard Hotel
When: 10am Saturday 26th May
Litter picking equipment will be available including pickers, jackets, gloves and bags.
Sandcastle Competition
Where: Newcastle beach to the right of the Newcastle Centre
When: 12.00, Saturday 26th May
The sandcastle competition will take place to the right of the Newcastle Centre on the beach.
Continental market in Newcastle
The continental market, more often seen in the grounds of Belfast City Hall, came to Newcastle today.
It’s back again tomorrow, from 9am to 8pm, in front of the Newcastle Centre, to bring the tastes and colours of Europe to the foot of the Mournes.
This is what you can expect (click pic to enlarge):
Support your local film-maker
Budding Newcastle film-makers Matt McComish and Zack Parks have raised over $1000 of their $4000 target, needed to complete their budget horror movie The Border Hours.
Now they’re appealing for more people to come on board their crowd-sourced funding initiative, to ensure the flick is ready for its world premiere in Newcastle this Halloween.
This is the teaser trailer and, if you like what you see and want to give the local lads a rung up the ladder to Hollywood, then you can become one of the film’s funders here. Give enough and you’ll even get a credit as Executive Producer. But be quick – they only have 13 days left in which to raise the cash!
Spot the deliberate(?) mistake
At Castlewellan Forest Park. Oh dear.
Campaign launched to free up traffic in town
Local businessman Brian Sweeney has started an online petition to restore the two lane traffic system at the start of Main Street in Newcastle.
The current system, introduced several years ago, requires traffic to merge from two lanes into one for the first stretch of the road at the top of the town, in order to acccomodate six parking spaces at the side of the street.
Traffic, especially during the summer season and busy weekends and bank holidays, often gets backed up at this key entry point to the town. with long jams stretching back to the Dundrum and Castlewellan Roads.
Brian Sweeney, owner of Timepiece Tattoos in the town, is hoping to change all this with his online petition directed at the Minister for Regional Development Danny Kennedy.
The petition appeals to the Minister:
We ask that you consider the needs of the entire community, and restore the natural, two lane, traffic system through the whole of Main Street.
More information and the full petition is here.
They’re off! Hill and Dale series under way
The annual Hill and Dale series of mountain and cross-country races got off to a flying start on Thursday night in Castlewellan.
The series of twelve races, organised by Newcastle Athletics Club in and around the Mournes, will continue every Thursday evening between now and June 29th in a variety of scenic and challenging locations.
231 senior runners and 59 juniors – in both primary and post-primary categories – took to the hills and tracks of Castlewellan Forest Park on Thursday evening, a record-breaking turnout on a gorgeous Spring evening.
Full results, race reports and photographs from the evening are now available on the Newcastle AC website. Congratulations to the organisers and all the runners.
The next race (adult runners only this time) will take place on Thursday 19th April, 7:3opm start, in Tollymore.
