On Wednesday 14th April many AAfA members were greatly worried to hear of the possibility of the spacing between 1st and 2nd vaccinations being changed. Many members who were over 70 had not received their first vaccination and were concerned that we would have a situation where we had over 70s who were ‘the vaccinated’ and those who would be ‘still waiting’. We contacted all members who were on email and explained the situation and suggested the value of a speedy ‘campaign’ to our TDs. It was with great relief that we received a response on 16th from the HSE that stated ‘It is anticipated that all over 70s first dose will be substantially complete by the end of April and that all of this age cohort will have been vaccinated (both doses) by the end of May in line with vaccine supply.’ Thanks to all who supported this call to action – the impact will be really important to us all to enable us to meet again physically. We hope that by the time you are reading this that you will be well on the way to having your 2 doses. So let’s stay active in making representations – The Fingal Development Plan – It is time to make your individual submissions now. AAfA is delighted with the opening of the toilets on the peninsula. We urge FCC to have them available permanently. We also welcome the increase in benches in the area for sitting and socialising and seek more benches located in desirable places.Paths for walking and cycling - we request that they be segregated rather than shared for safety reasons - like the proposed new pathway from the Shoreline to the Tower. Newbridge Park is beautiful and well maintained, but with regard to pathways, there is an urgent need to put additional measures in place; to protect all users but particularly older and vulnerable people. If bikes used Bell or Yell, it would also make it safer for all users.Housing options – we each could write about this regarding good long-term planning for this community… please make your ideas known submit them. See the photograph for How to Make your Submission and start exercising your fingers ASAP. We can each make a difference.

Now, as lockdown eases, its time to get some good sea air into our lungs and where better than Balbriggan’s beach. Balbriggan beach is situated close to the Main Street, behind an eleven arch limestone and brick railway viaduct. There is a working fishing harbour beside the beach where trawlers enter and leave on high tides. The Front Strand is Balbriggan’s main beach. It is a natural inlet and is ideal for building sand castles, bathing and soaking up the sun if the temperamental Irish weather permits. During the summer months, a lifeguard is on duty when the appropriate flag is flying. A pleasant walk further up the coast takes you to the Martello Tower built in the 1800s to ward off any invasions by Napoleon. Just below the Martello Tower are the ruins of the Boathouses. In by-gone days this area was well-known for hot seaweed bath.Balbriggan beach is an ideal walking spot.Rich with history and natural vistas. Beyond the Martello Tower, heading further north you will see the imposing structure of Bremore Castle on your left. The beach stretching north from the Martello Tower is called King’s Strand. Walking along to the north end of King’s Strand you can spot The Sailors Grave, a mound of stones so called as it commemorates the dead of the ships such as the Belle Hill and Sarah of Runcorn that were wrecked off the nearby Cardy Rocks. Tradition has it that visitors add a stone to the cairn. A plaque was placed here in 2013 to commemorate the lost lives. You can walk along this stretch of coastline eventually arriving at the long beaches of Gormanston. (Note, this is a natural terrain without a man-made footpath). Hampton Cove Beach on the southern end of the town is a nice pebble beach popular with dog walkers. From here there is a nice view of the Rockabill lighthouse and of Skerries. The Lady’s Stairs Beach further south near the footbridge access to Ardgillan Demesne, is a lovely stretch of soft sand, at low tide popular with horse riders and joggers. Remember safe distancing and keep our beaches clear of litter but enjoy yourselves.

Our national fundraiser, ‘Guide Dog Day’, is the 7th May.Unfortunately unless Government restrictions allow we will not be out in the community fundraising, however there are many ways you can support us.This year’s theme is ‘#100K4GDD’.Would you run, walk or swim 100km during the month of May and raise funds for Guide Dogs? You can sign up as an individual or join a team by visiting guidedogs.ie The first 3,000 people to register will get a free T-shirt and Doggy Bandana and there are lots of prizes too.If you would like a sponsorship card please contact us by email guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com or phone/text 0857663107.Visit Specsavers in Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan and donate €3 using our Tap to Donate machine or donate via Facebook at facebook.com/Balbriggan.Branch.of.Guide.Dogs. On the 13th April Yarrow left puppy raiser Anne Mulligan and went to HQ in Cork for training to become an Assistance Dog.One of the many happy memories Anne shared with us about her 18 months with Yarrow was when they were walking in Balbriggan on a sunny day and Anne was asked if she needed help crossing the road. Anne was wearing dark sunglasses at the time and the person thought she was blind. We will all miss Yarrow, especially Anne, and wish him ‘Good Luck’ in his training and future life as an Assistance Dog.Looking back to the 1980s, Issue 10 of Guidelines, the newsletter, of then called ‘Irish Guide Dogs Association’, featured ‘The Beginning of the Balbriggan Branch’ by Tom O’Neill Chairman.Tom qualified with his first Guide Dog Frank, a black Labrador in 1985, and returned to Balbriggan which at the time had a population of about 8,000.Tom found out that there were no branches of the association in the North Dublin area so he and his wife Breege formed the branch ‘if only to show the local people what a Guide Dog could do for a visually impaired person’.In 1987 £3,500 was raised and the branch continues today with the help of our loyal supporters and volunteers.

Subject to Covid guidelines, we at Glebe North will host two summer camps this year.. Camps will take the same format as last year with no use of changing facility’s and will run from 10am-1pm. Please book with us as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.Contact us at 087 205 6673 or
Send us a message on our email glebenorthfootballclub@gmail.com.

Thanks to sponsorship received from Progressive Credit Union, Balbriggan and the H.S.E., along with money raised through a Monster Raffle and other fundraising ventures in 2019, we are thrilled to have been able to purchase our new vehicle. Whilst the project was delayed considerably due to the constraints of Covid-19 over the past year, we are finally on the road. We would like to express our thanks to Progressive Credit Union in particular Brian Howard, the H.S.E. and all those who contributed in any way to raising funds for our minibus.

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels currently provides more than 80 meals per day, with meals delivered to the most vulnerable people in our community. We look forward to using our new bus to deliver meals to our clients as well as transporting our clients to and from our Dinner Club as soon as it is safe for us to resume this service. We are also announcing that our fundraising appeal has been launched. As everyone is aware, the present circumstances this year have once again meant that we have been unable to host any fundraising events. We are, therefore, at this time launching a fundraising appeal to assist us in continuing our work, cooking and delivering meals in the wider Balbriggan area. Donations may be made directly to our base in Hampton Street or through the donate button on our Facebook page. Any assistance from individuals or local organisations would be most gratefully accepted at this time. Contact us at Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.Tel: 01 8416743 or Email:mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.com

The Balbriggan 3D Model is a visual tool which will help citizens visualise the planned transformations of the town outlined in the Our Balbriggan 2019 – 2025 Town Rejuvenation plan, and can now be viewed on the County Council’s website. The Balbriggan 3D Model is a visual tool which will help citizens visualise the planned transformations of the town outlined in the Our Balbriggan 2019 – 2025 Town Rejuvenation plan. The model can be described as a ‘3D Map’ or ‘Digital Twin’ of Balbriggan as it was created using aerial survey photography and ground level photo surveys. It provides easy access to a visual representation of the reimagined Harbour and Quay Street area. A desktop version of the model might be best described as a future digital twin of Balbriggan. It is a data-rich virtual representation of Balbriggan offering stakeholders a platform to make data-driven decisions in a low-risk environment before deploying them in the real world.The model is also Virtual Reality (VR) ready, meaning that it can be viewed using a VR headset, offering a more immersive visual experience.The multiple user engagement options (movie, web, desktop and VR) is facilitated by the underlying game engine technology used by RealSim, Unity3D, the most popular game engine in the world. Fingal County Council are by extension harnessing the ease of use and multi-platform strengths of this technology to bring planning and community consultation into a new era of ‘Future Visioning’ and how we collectively shape the world we want to live in.“The Our Balbriggan Hub situated in Georges Square, in the centre of the town is the engine room for the Our Balbriggan 2019 – 2025 Town Rejuvenation Plan and the base for the Our Balbriggan team. This VR technology will enable the team to engage further with the people of Balbriggan and help them to visualize how their town will be developed. Post Covid, VR headsets will be available at the Hub to residents and businesses to explore the 3D model and will also be used at events and in schools to showcase the Our Balbriggan public realm improvement plans in a fun and meaningful way,” said Aoife Sheridan, Senior Executive Officer, Fingal County Council

Grasshoppers Early Years Arts Festival was set up in 2019 as a partnership between Acting Up! founder Cliodhna Noonan and Our Balbriggan - Get Involved. We opened with a wonderful Buggy Parade to the Square where we had an outdoor Capoeira performance for families followed by tea and cakes at Aster Family Centre. The 2019 workshop weekend for families with children aged 0-6 was a sellout success! We were determined to do more in 2020. Unfortunately, Covid had other plans. However, we were back in force with a fully digital festival in February 2021 and what a week it was!!! We presented zoom workshop performances from Croatia, Lithuania, Greece and Romania commissioned specially for our audiences. The programme was sold out within days of being released! We would like to thank everyone who participated especially our Balbriggan audiences!!! As schools reopened a week after the workshops, we invited them to participate further in Grasshoppers 2021 and to create an exhibition of artwork based on the theme of the local Lighthouse. We would like to thank Millfield Shopping Centre for the great exhibition space they offered us for the youngest artists in Balbriggan! You may have seen the magnificent display of colour and positivity just outside Tescos over the Easter break! We are moving into our final event for children and families aged 0-6. Watch it Grow 2021! in collaboration with Tidy Towns Balbriggan, and Balbriggan Libraries, offers school and preschools a chance to grow seeds, water them, watch them and investigate what insects might visit them over the next four weeks. Schools are invited to plant in a public space near them, on their school grounds or even on the windowsills of their classrooms! We will be visiting all schools in the area in the coming two weeks to drop off our packs! Happy Growing! If you have an idea for early years participation in the community or you would like to be involved in the team, drop us an email on grasshoppersfestival@gmail.com. Grasshoppers 2021 is supported by Our Balbriggan - Get Involved, Fingal Arts Office and The Arts Council of Ireland.

In Foróige we know that for many young people in Ireland, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex means for them that they are living with daily discrimination or with constant fear of being themselves. This has long lasting effects from the treatment in the education system such as name-calling and bullying or even being denied equal opportunities as their peers because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.In Foróige, we always want to make sure that all of our young people feel welcomed, accepted but most importantly safe! We offer dedicated places where our young people who are part of the LGBTI+ community can feel comfortable and protected to explore their journeys and the challenges the community often face. Our LGBTI+ Groups will return from the 26th of April for face to face group work OUTDOORS! In this space young people decide what actions and activities they’d like to do, whether it’s exploring terminology, having a casual chat or planning for pride, we listen to our young people. Our Senior LGBTI+ Group is open for young people aged 15-18. Because of the success with this group we are very happy to announce our Junior LGBTI+ Group for young people aged 12-14. We understand how important it is for young people to feel heard and seen and the importance of creating a space where they can share ideas and be creative whilst being themselves. For information about any of our Foróige Clubs or Groups call Áine on 086-7710790 or email aine.mcguinness@foroige.ie

Fingal County Council is encouraging local hospitality and tourism providers to apply for grant funding under Fáilte Ireland’s new Outdoor Dining Enhancement Investment Scheme aimed at assisting the sector increase their outdoor dining capacity.Grants of up to €4,000 are available under the Outdoor Dining Enhancement & Accessories for Tourism & Hospitality Business strand of the Scheme to facilitate greater capacity in outdoor dining by supporting hospitality businesses with upgrading and enhancing venues and public spaces and implementing weather-proofing solutions to facilitate year-round outdoor dining. Individual tourism and hospitality businesses where food is sold for consumption on the premises including hotels, attractions, cafes, restaurants and pubs are invited to apply for funding.Its aim is to expand on the work carried out by local authorities last year in supporting businesses and will support individual independent hospitality and tourism businesses towards the cost of equipment to provide additional outdoor enhancement and facilitate these businesses to increase their outdoor dining capacity for the summer of 2021.Costs for outdoor tables, chairs,umbrellas, electric heaters, screens, wind breaks, plant stands and wooden platforms will be covered under the Scheme. Expenditure must be incurred between April 1 2020 and September 30 2021.Applications can now be made via www.fingal.ie/outdoordining. (nb: not available through this media) contact the County Council.This investment scheme is being delivered under the Fáilte Ireland ‘Opening the Outdoors’ strategic pillar which aims to capitalise our outdoor assets and re-imagine our urban spaces.Mayor of Fingal Cllr David Healy said: “This is a very welcome initiative to support the local tourism and hospitality sector which has been so badly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Upgrading and improving spaces to provide for outdoor dining will play a significant part in allowing businesses to provide the necessary facilities to reopen in compliance with public health guidelines. Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Fingal County Council is delighted to be working with Fáilte Ireland on this scheme which will support the hospitality and tourism sectors as they begin to re-open following the most recent period of closure. I am very conscious of the difficulties businesses across the county have faced and this scheme, which will enable the sector increase their dining and seating capacity, is another important initiative in allowing them to reopen in a safe manner.”

Balbriggan Roadrunners will be hosting their annual Summerfest 5k from the 28th of May to the 4th of June, in a virtual fromat this year. This has always been a great fun event to look forward to.The Balbriggan Roadrunners Summerfest 5km fun run will be going virtual this year taking place between 28th May and 4th June 2021. Registration costs €10 and can be done online.

This will also be part of some great North Dublin virtual events that have been taking place since early Jan this year, when Raheny Shamrock AC kicked off their virtual 5 mile. Balbriggan Roadrunners will be helping North Dublin and the rest of the country to keep smiling and enjoying our running.The club is very mcuh about participation and including all runners, walkers and joggers to the enjoy their events. We hope you can be part of this great event and share your experience on the Balbriggan Roadrunners Balbriggan social media pages and the My Run Community page. There is also the option to purchase the event merchandise including T-shirt. Snood and medal.