A big “Thank You” to everyone who came along to the Square to hear the choirs from Portaferry Integrated and St Mary’s Primary schools. Hardly seems like a few weeks since Gala 2015 ended and now Christmas is on it’s way!
For more pictures from the Square, click here.
Children Singing at Christmas Switch on 2015
A big “thank you” and a warm welcome to all the new members who have joined following this year’s AGM.
The planning of Portaferry Gala 2016 is getting underway. We’d also like to thank all the outgoing members who have put so much hard work into Gala over the last number of years, especially our outgoing Chairperson, Caroline Mageean.
Enjoy the rest and sit back and enjoy next summer.
Hope everyone enjoyed the 2015 Community Bonfire and Fireworks, thanks to Liam McVeigh and Jim Mullan for some great pictures, click here to see them all.
The proposed change is to introduce a sailing from Portaferry at 7.20 am on weekdays all year round.
This would be offset by dropping the last two sailings in the evening (Sunday to Friday) from 1 October to 31 March. From 1 April to 30 September the existing evening sailings will be unchanged.
Over the course of the year, the total number of sailings offered by the ferry service will be the same.
TransportNI is considering an amendment to the Strangford Lough ferry service timetable to provide an additional early morning sailing from Portaferry on weekday mornings.
Over recent years TransportNI has received several requests for a permanent early morning sailing from Portaferry. The first sailing from Portaferry on weekdays is at 7.45 am and is generally at full vehicle capacity.
Since 2011, an additional sailing at 7.15 am from Portaferry has been provided during the annual refit of the MV Portaferry II. During the refit the smaller ferry, the MV Strangford, is in service and does not have the capacity to cope with the demand for the normal first sailing at 7.45 am. The early sailing is welcomed by many commuters from Portaferry who either have to travel by road to get to work on time or get to work later than they would prefer.
Passenger count records show that, on weekdays, the early morning demand exceeds the demand for the last sailings in the evening. In response to this demand and requests from the public and public representatives, TransportNI has decided to explore the possibility of making the early sailing permanent.
Write to –
Mrs K McMahonTelephone: 0300 200 7898
On Saturday the 26th a Cancer Research street party took place on the Square with bouncey castle, tea, sandwiches, buns and music. It was to thank Portaferry community for all their fund raising over the years.
We’d like to thank everyone who helped make Gala Week 2015 the successful event it was – from the Sponsors to the Public who involve themselves in the many events across the week, we really, really couldn’t do it without you.
As you may be aware not only is our Chair stepping down this year, but so are a number of other Gala Committee members. Having served on the Gala Committee for a number of years, they feel it’s time to retire. We wish them all the best and thank them for all they’ve done over the years.
Of course, this leave us with a number of gaps for the future.
We have appealed time and time again for more volunteers and once again, have to point out that the reality is, without a Committee, there can’t be a Gala.
So, if you’d like to come on board, with ideas and enthusiasm, now is the time to do so.
Portaferry Gala is YOUR festival for YOUR town. We attract a massive crowd across the week and we do require people to work behind the scenes – from sandwich making to barrier lifting, from sweeping floors to answering phone calls. Please get in touch if you’d like to be involved. info@portaferrytown.com
Thanks so much for making Gala 2015 an event the whole Town can be proud of 🙂
Pictures from the Fancy Dress are now online, click here
Thanks very much to Melanie Heanue for sharing the pictures of her Abbey Flyer as it was being constructed for this year’s Soap Box Race – a fantastic piece of work it was too.
Click here for the pictures.
Well done to John Murray, Michael Vaugh and Danni Boyd,
all winners in this year’s Sheaf Pitchin’.
