Countdown to Gala 2014 is underway – remember friends and family abroad can keep up to date with ferry fm and right here, all throughout the week.

Have some spare time? – why not wander down “memory lane” with the Gala Picture archive – just click on the link in the site menu and browse away an hour or two….

Tuesday 22nd July at 7:30pm

Entry Fees: £10 Registered, £12 Unregistered, £12 for a Relay Team.
Online entry available, click here.

NICS Athletics Club and East Down Athletics Club present the Portaferry Gala 10 Mile Road Race including a 2 x 5 mile relay race for teams of 2 runners. The event is organised in conjunction with the Portaferry Gala Committee and is sponsored by Pure Running. It takes place in the picturesque surroundings of Portaferry and is one of the feature events in Portaferry Gala Week. It offers a challenging but fast course for recreational and elite runners alike. The race starts at the Sports Centre, Cloughy Road, Portaferry, BT22 1ND.

Registration

Registration will take place in the Sports Centre Cloughy Road, Portaferry, from 5:00pm. If you have entered online you can collect your race number at the Pre-Entry desk at registration. Entries will also be taken on the day from 5:00pm in the Sports Centre.

Relay Event.

Transport will be provided to and from the Relay changeover point and the bus will leave from the lay-by on the Ballyphilip Road close to the Sports Centre. It will be signposted from the Sports Centre. The first team runner will be given an armband to wear and the second runner will wear the race number.

Car Parking

Limited car parking is available at the Sports Centre but additional parking will be provided nearby, please follow the direction of the stewards to the additional parking.

Prizes

There are prizes for Male & Female in the Open and Veterans categories. Relay Team prizes, prizes for local competitors and oldest competitors will also be awarded at the presentation after the race in the Sports Centre.

Mementos.

There will be a memento for all competitors provided courtesy of the Portaferry Gala Committee and it will be given out at registration.

Refreshments

Refreshments will be provided for all competitors in the Sports Centre immediately after the race.

Would YOU like to be involved in ferry fm – would you like to advertise on the station and promote your business this Gala Week? For details of advertising on ferry fm email studio@ferryfm.com
If you are a group based in the area which would like to pop in for a chat about what you do – then just drop us a line.

Loads happening this weekend at the Strangford Lough Maritime Festival. Plenty to see and do in and around Portaferry Town. Get your summer off to a great start, come on down and join in the fun.
For full details of all that is on, download this official brochure  and look out for the signs about the town.

The Vikings in their Portaferry Campsite.

This is the latest posting from the Friends of Exploris facebook page :

Consultation on potential closure of Exploris to begin

A lack of response from the Northern Ireland Executive to its business case and request for funding to secure and improve the Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry means Ards Borough Council has tonight (28th May) agreed to commence a formal consultation process and equality impact assessment on the potential closure of the facility.

In making its decision the Council has called on the Department of Environment Minister and the wider Executive to formally respond to its bid for financial support.

Since September last year, the Council has delayed its decision to close the aquarium to give the Executive time to make firm offers of a funding package, to include revenue for the Seal Sanctuary from the Department of the Environment, together with a substantial one-off capital grant of approximately £900,000.

As outlined in a business case submitted to the Executive by Ards Borough Council this funding would have made the facility a sustainable operation, reducing running costs of the facility to an acceptable burden for the ratepayer from around £500,000 each year to £200,000.

Expressing disappointment and frustration that no financial package had been forthcoming from the Executive, the Deputy Mayor of Ards, Councillor Philip Smith commented:

“This proposal is not the Council giving up on Exploris, but it must have the financial support of the Executive. Without the actions proposed we will expose rate payers to greater financial risk, and continued indecision is unfair to our staff and other stakeholders. The Council has done its bit and it is now up to the DoE Minister and the Northern Ireland Executive to step up to the mark. Should an offer of funding from the Executive be forthcoming the Council will review this decision”.

An equality impact assessment will now begin, and is estimated to take four months. Exploris remains open.

There is a Marine Life Identification Course being held 10-11th of May at Exploris.
This updated course will be a practical 2 day weekend of marine life identification skills. There will a series of 8 short lectures on all the major groups of our marine life, from starfish to sponges, combined with a shore dive and a trip to a marina or shore to look for marine life. We will have time to look at specimens and photos in the lab so you complete the course with confidence in your new skills and ability to find your way around identification guides. The course will be flexible for beginners to the more experienced who wish to focus on specific groups of interest or need a refresher.

The cost of the course is £80. (A deposit of £20 with your booking form is required.)
If you would like more information or a talk for your club please get in touch with: seasearchni@gmail.com

A very Happy Easter to all our readers, hope you have a relaxing time and if you are out and about, come down our way.

Latest news from Friends of Exploris: 

Dear All,