The news has surprised many politics watchers, who assumed that Clarke would resign his Council seat in preference for his Assembly role. He had announced before the double-election in May 2011 that he would only continue with one of the jobs, despite standing for both posts.

As he told newcastlerocks back in April (at 4mins 30sec below), he had not decided which of the jobs to retain if he should be successful in both polls.

The party will now decide which of its members to move into Clarke’s vacant Assembly seat. Speculation has concentrated on unsuccessful Assembly candidate Naomi Bailie and Ballynahinch councillor Mickey Coogan. Either choice would leave Newcastle without a Stormont representative living in the town, although John McCallister MLA has a constituency office on Causeway Road.

If you need help with making funding applications, they are now arranging one-to-one sessions with groups in the area to help support and advise on applications to grant-makers.

If you need to find out why your funding applications fail, get help completing an application form or find funders who match your project, then get along to the Money From Grants funding advice sessions will be held in the offices of Kairos Centre, 10b Donard Street on 27th March 2012.

Sessions are available as follows and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

(1) 9.00am; (2) 10:00am; (3) 11:15am; (4) 12:15noon; (5) 2:00pm; (6) 3:00pm; (7) 4:00pm

To book your session, contact Georgie Finlay, Neil Irwin or James Laverty by email (preferred) or phone on 028 9087 7777.

If you are successful in getting a funding advice session, then prior to your appointment, you may want to send them copies of your draft or failed applications,  or a project description.

Email to: georgie.finlay@nicva.org, james.laverty@nicva.org or neil.irwin@nicva.org

A photomechanical print in photochrom from the Detroit Publishing Co, held at the US Library of Congress. Part of the amazing Views of Ireland in the Photochrom print collection.

Fairtrade Newcastle aims to see the town earn the status by bringing together local shoppers, the business community, Down District Council and the town’s schools, churches and community groups.

The campaign will be introduced at a public meeting to be held in the Newcastle Centre on Tuesday 28th February at 7:30pm, at the start of Fairtrade Fortnight.

The purpose will be to establish a ‘Let’s make Newcastle a Fairtrade Town’ campaign, so tackling poverty by enabling disadvantaged producers from poor countries to receive a better deal.

Campaign co-ordinator Patrick Corrigan said:

Fairtrade is about decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. This is a chance for Newcastle to be part of this global movement.

Dozens of towns across Ireland and the UK have now become Fairtrade Towns. Experience there has shown that working towards Fairtrade Town status can bring together neighbours, groups, the local council and businesses towards a common goal and a shared achievement that everyone can celebrate.

Becoming a Fairtrade Town can benefit local businesses by promoting shopping in the town’s shops, benefits producers in the developing world by ensuring that they get a decent price for their produce and benefits local people by generating community spirit behind a great project. By choosing to support Fairtrade in this way, Newcastle can add it’s voice to demands for a trade system that puts people at the heart of the transaction.

To achieve Fairtrade Town status, Newcastle would have to fulfil a range of criteria set down by the Fairtrade Foundation, such as the number of shops and catering outlets stocking fair trade products and the amount of support given by the local community.

Community organisations, faith groups, businesses, schools and individuals all contribute to making their area a Fairtrade Town by pledging to do what they can to support fair trade.

At the meeting in the Newcastle Centre on Tuesday 28th February, there will be a presentation and questions and answer session, a short film, some sample Fairtrade produce, information materials and a resolution to establish a steering group for the initiative.

Fairtrade Newcastle public meeting – Tuesday 28 February, 7:30pm, Newcastle Centre. For more information, email: newcastlerocks[at]ymail.com

The event will takes place at the start of Fairtrade Fortnight (February 27 – March 11)

After a brief respite, the lads are off to Tokyo, before rocking up at Belfast’s Mandela Hall (tickets available here) at the beginning of March as part of their Ireland and UK schedule.

If you can’t wait that long, check out this video for Nowhere Freeway, the latest single off their new album Revival. Featuring vocals from Lynne Jackaman alongside frontman Cormac. They’ve never sounded sweeter.

The exact route will be confirmed closer to the time but what we know already is that on Thursday 7th June the torch will be carried through Newcastle, before heading for Dundrum, Clough, Downpatrick, Crossgar and onwards.

The lucky individuals who will carry the torch will be announced later this year.

Meanwhile the London 2012 organisers are looking for ‘Local Leaders’ to create their own celebrations in Newcastle and elsehere next year when the Olympic Torch Relay comes to town. Find out more here.

Torch route around Northern Ireland

The programme, supported by Queen’s University’s Sharing Education Programme (hats off to Prof Tony Gallagher) and funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and businessman Gerard O’Hare, recently picked up the TES Outstanding Community Partnership Award.  The TES judges’ commented: “The main hope for Northern Ireland’s peaceful and prosperous future lies in its schools and the brave pioneers who are devising shared education programmes between educators in either sector. Shimna’s example is at once humbling and inspirational.”

Guest of honour was First Minister Peter Robinson. Thirteen months ago he sparked a major public debate when he condemned Northern Ireland’s segregated school system as “a benign form of apartheid, which is fundamentally damaging to our society.”

He used Monday evening’s speech to reiterate his aspiration for “shared education”.

Of detail, there was none, although he teased the audience that the long-awaited Programme for Government might have something of interest.

Later this week the Northern Ireland Executive will announce its Programme for Government and its plans for the next four years. While I can’t say too much about it tonight, I hope that when it is published you will see the inspiration that projects like this one have provided.

Yet, if the PfG is as hollow of substance on integrating education as is the OFMDFM Programme for ‘Cohesion, Sharing and Integration’ (condemned by the Integrated Education Fund which said it was ”very disappointed by the absence of any analysis, vision or focus in the proposals outlined”), then few in the audience will give it as warm a reception as they did to Robinson’s excellent speech in the Slieve Donard hotel. Extracts below (full version on the DUP website):

I believe that shared education is the way forward for Northern Ireland and you have taken an important step along that road and one which is supported by schools across the community.

I want to see what you are doing as the start of a process by which all of our children from the earliest age have the opportunity to live and learn together. If we are to make a real impact we must build bridges not for a single crossing but for a permanent link from one side to another. This programme has laid a solid foundation.

I know I startled some people when I told an audience in Downpatrick that I agree with the 19th Century Roman Catholic Bishop James Doyle, of Kildare and Leighlin – He said:

“I do not see how any man, wishing well to the public peace, and who looks to Ireland as his country, can think that peace can ever be permanently established, or the prosperity of the country ever well secured, if children are separated, at the commencement of life, on account of their religious opinions. I do not know any measures which would prepare the way for a better feeling in Ireland than uniting children at an early age, and bringing them up in the same school, leading them to commune with one another, and to form those little intimacies and friendships which often subsist through life.”

Whenever I was growing up I had friends from across the community, who I played with every day but when the time came to go to school we went our separate ways. We ended up making new friends and living separate lives.

Living close together, but living separate lives is not the kind of society that I want to see.

The concept of separate but equal was rejected in the United States in the 1950s and it should have no place in the Northern Ireland of today. We want a society where people work and live and learn together – not apart. That is our best guarantee that we will never return to the conflict from which we have emerged.

Present and former pupils, parents, governors, teachers, staff and supporters are invited to attemd between 1-4pm for an afternoon of entertainment to celebrate its success through the years.

Founded in 1986 (fuller history here) it was only the second fully integrated primary school to be established in Northern Ireland, just five years after the integrated education movement was founded with the opening of Lagan College in Belfast.

The 25th anniversary celebration event will include a showcase of the school’s depth of talent in music, dance and sport as well as attractions such as the Armagh Rhymers, climbing wall (courtesy of Life adventure company), penalty shoot competition, barbecue and much more.

There will be few special guests as well, including long-time supporters of integrated education and local elected political representatives. Pride of place, of course, will go to the school’s children – past and present – and those who had the vision and courage to establish the school twenty five years ago this month.

Meanwhile, if you want to support an initiative for a reform of our largely segregated and financially wasteful education system, you can back the new One School of Thought campaign which was launched this week. Find out more and sign up to show your support here.

If correct, that would mean the Annalong village is harbouring almost 82 man-wolf shapeshifters, slightly higher than most people in nearby Newcastle had previously estimated. Click image below to enlarge.

Can you spot your house?

This great picture (click to enlarge) was taken by davynessie (but cropped by me) and is reproduced courtesy of him via flickr. He got the shot from Slieve Donard on the day of the Red Arrows’ appearance at the Festival of Flight.

Here’s what the town looked like closer up on that day. By the way, does this look like 100,000 people to you…?