From the crash scene, the pupils moved back inside where they found themselves in a court room re-enactment.

The Judge - Mr John Pinkerton - read out his summary of the case before passing sentence on the young driver. Despite no previous convictions - and letters from his Headmaster and others who knew him - the driver was sentenced to the minimum 5 years for being guilty of death by dangerous driving. Once again, the pupils witnessed him being handcuffed and led away to begin his sentence.

Following this, Dr Ian Erskine - an Emergency Response Doctor - showed them first-hand what he and his colleagues had to deal with at the scene of a Road Traffic Collision. In his calm, quiet voice, he showed them time after time what simple mistakes can do, and some of the horrific consequences that people are left to cope with afterwards. The pupils sat in stunned silence at times; at other times ripples of horror passed through the room. By the end of his talk, no-one in the room was left in any doubt about the cost of a serious traffic collision.

 


Following his talk, Dr Erskine joined our three visiting members of the PSNI team on stage for a Question and Answer session with the audience. This again had a powerful emotional impact, as each member described the effect that particular incidents had had on them personally.

We often think that members of our emergency services are professionals in doing what they do, and they are - incredibly professional at carrying out their work - but it is easy to forget that they are also people just like you and I, who are deeply affected by what they see and what they have to cope with in the line of their duty. It was clear from their voices and their faces that they carry a heavy burden with them from some parts of their work. It is not just the physically injured who are left scarred by traffic collisions.



Just One Life

Ballymoney Rotary Club - in partnership with PSNI, the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service - have been able to re-ignite their Newly-Qualified Safe Driving initiative, known as Just One Life, following a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.

Hosted on Wednesday afternoon 30 March 2022 by Dalriada School, almost 300 Year 12 pupils from Dalriada, Our Lady of Lourdes and Ballymoney High Schools joined together to see what exactly can happen when a young driver takes their attention off the road.

During an action-packed and harrowingly-realistic day, the pupils - who will soon be sitting their driving test and taking to the road themselves - got to see first hand the effects of a young driver texting behind the wheel of a car.

Following a welcome by Dalriada Headmaster Tom Skelton and Deputy Mayor Ashleen Schenning, a minutes’ silence was held to remember the 50 victims of accidents on our roads from 2021. 50 pairs of empty shoes lined the stage to represent each one of the people killed.



The pupils then watched a short video where Police Inspector John Miller told them about what happens when a young driver is involved in a serious accident.

After that they all moved outside into the car park to be met by the scene of a serious accident!

In a live Road Traffic Collision re-enactment, the Police car and motorbike were the first to arrive with lights and sirens going on the scene. A car had been involved in a collision with a motorcyclist. Unfortunately the motorcyclist had been killed, and several passengers in the car had been seriously injured, some with life-altering injuries.

 


The pupils were kept informed throughout the rescue process by officer Stuart Crutchey of the PSNI and Commissioner John Bacon of the Fire Brigade as members of the fire crew began cutting through the roof of the car to rescue those inside. They also were able to watch the young driver having his mobile phone confiscated - to be used as evidence - before being arrested and led away in handcuffs. The seriousness of the incident - effectively a murder scene, with evidence being collected for a subsequent court case - was impressed on them.

The sound of the cutters crunching through the car, while other members of the team shielded those still trapped inside from that work, was very shocking. It showed just how serious and dangerous a situation like this continues to be to those involved, even after the collision itself.


Ballymoney Rotary World Earth Project,

On Saturday 18  December 2021 a team of four Rotarians collected litter from the stretch of road between the Route Hospital and the A26 bypass in Ballymoney. Since then, as part of the Ballymoney Rotary World Earth Project, four teams of Rotarians have taken turns to continue this good work on a weekly basis along roads in the Ballymoney area.


Rotary Youth Leadership Competition

Congratulations to Noah Patterson, Year 13 pupil at Dalriada School, Ballymoney, who became one of the three Final Zone Winners for the Rotary Youth Leadership Competition which was held on Monday 17 January 2022. Noah is pictured with President Diana Evans of Ballycastle Rotary Club, Zone Final organizers, and 2 other pupils from Cross and Passion, Ballycastle and Bangor Grammar.




Noah will now progress to the next stages of the competition in March which will take him to Belfast and Dublin.


Noah was interviewed on several topics including Rotary Leadership, Topical Issues in Europe, Environmental Issues and the Future of the European Union.

Centenary Tree

Gordon Robinson, President of Ballymoney Rotary Club and past President Jimmy Dunlop recently planted a Centenary Tree in the Quiet Garden in the grounds of St. Patrick’s Parish Church, Ballymoney. The hazel tree was provided by the Causeway Coast and Glens Council.

Tim and Jane-Marie Cook from the Salvation Army in Ballymoney receiving a cheque for £1850 from Black Santa Alastair Coyles (right) accompanied by Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes

Willy Fisher from Ballmoney St. Vincent de Paul Conference receiving a cheque for £1850 from Black Santa Alastair Coyles (right) accompanied by Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes

Rotarian Colin Taggart, Mayor Richard Holmes and Black Santa Alastair Coyles with Claire Doherty, General Manager of KRD Credit Union. KRD Credit Union provided a very generous donation to the help the appeal in these difficult times.

Black Santa Alastair Coyles and Mayor Richard Holmes with Rotarians, guests, sponsors and recipients.

Hayley Allen from Compass Advocacy Network Ltd receiving a cheque for £1850 from Black Santa Alastair Coyles (right) accompanied by Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes

Rotarian Colin Taggart, Mayor Richard Holmes and Jimmy Mark and Dougie Long from Ballymoney Men’s Shed with Ballymoney Black Santa Alastair Coyles. Alastair presented the Men’s Shed with a cheque to thank them for providing provided a shed to shelter him from the inclement weather  during his outdoor collection.

Ballymoney Rotary Club would like to express their sincere gratitude to the huge team of people involved in bringing this Road Safety initiative together, without whom it would not be possible:

The PSNI, the Fire Brigade and the Ambulance Service, who all give up their time and considerable resources, both in planning the event and on the day itself, to make the event as realistic as possible.

The Heads and Staff of the three schools, who support this initiative with great enthusiasm and throw the full weight of their own resources behind it.

Causeway Coast and Glens Council, who provide invaluable support in arranging with T-Met for the crash scene vehicles to be delivered to Dalriada, and for providing the outdoor PA system so that pupils can hear what is going on over the sounds of the cutting and other rescue activities!

In addition this year, the PSNI Media Team were on hand to film the event. With so many people giving their time from so many different organisations, it is hoped that we can create a short film from the day that will be distributed out to schools, colleges and other Rotary Clubs across Northern Ireland, so that this message can be shared with other newly-qualified drivers.


On 2nd March 2022 the Rotary Club of Ballymoney facilitated the distribution of funds raised by the Ballymoney Black Santa collection of December 2021.  


Black Santa Alastair Coyles and Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes presented cheques for £1850 to each of Drop Inn Ministries, Coleraine and District Samaritans, the Salvation Army, Compass Advocacy Network Ltd and the St Vincent de Paul Conference, Ballymoney. The Mayor thanked Alastair for his efforts, sitting out in inclement weather and expressed amazement on how the good folk of the area had risen to the occasion, giving back to their community.


Host for the evening Robin Taggart and his team of fellow Rotarians had ensured that all funds collected were counted and banked and in due course distributed to the local worthy charities.


The past year was an extremely difficult year for all charities relying on face-to-face contact with the public and with Covid the footfall in Ballymoney was greatly reduced this year. However, thanks to the main sponsors the Dowds Group, a very substantial donation by KRD Credit Union and other generous donations from the local business community, the funds collected for the Ballymoney Black Santa Appeal on a par with previous years – an incredible achievement under the circumstances. Well done to Alastair, his supporters and all the team working in the background, including Ballymoney Men’s Shed who provided Santa with his shed to shelter him from the inclement weather, Causeway Coast and Glens Council who among other things authorised the provision of music and provided barriers, local business AM Signs. Rotary are proud to have played their part in this wonderful, much-needed achievement.

Edwina Chambers from Drop In Ministries receives a cheque for £1850 from Black Santa Alastair Coyles (right) accompanied by Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes

Coleraine and District Samaritans representative David McKeown receives a cheque for £1850 from Black Santa Alastair Coyles (right) accompanied by Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes

Making use of the recent good weather, Jimmy Dunlop and Gordon Robinson from the Rotary Club of Ballymoney undertook a walk from Marconi’s Cottage, Ballycastle to the Martello Tower at Magilligan Point, a distance of approximately 52 miles using coastal paths and beaches as much as possible. The intrepid duo was undeterred by potential rock falls, tidal surges, slippery seaweed, sandstorms, crabs, jellyfish, etc. and trekked for 20 hours, achieving a grand total of 102,600 steps.

The sore legs, blisters and well grilled legs and arms were all endured for a good cause, raising much needed funds for local charities. Raising funds has been extremely challenging for charities during the pandemic yet the need for their support has never been greater.

During the ‘Big Dander’ great support was provided to Jimmy and Gordon by their wives Rosemary and Irene and by Rotary Assistant District Governor Michael Fleming and his wife Eithne and special thanks are due to Billy and Lily O’Neill for hosting a pit-stop on the way to the Barmouth.  Other Rotarians joined the walkers at various stages and provided much needed sustenance and encouragement.   

A total of £2735 was raised from local Rotarians and their friends and families.

The Big Dander

Click for video of The Big Dander

Ballymoney Rotary Club wishes to congratulate Dalriada pupil, Noah Patterson, on winning the Youth Leadership Competition for Ballymoney schools this year. Noah has already displayed leadership in several organisations both inside and outside of school. In 2018 he was part of a team from Dalriada School that won a N Ireland competition for developing innovative IT Apps. Noah and his Dalriada team colleague, Daniel Price, then were awarded a trip to represent N Ireland students at IT Companies in Silicon Valley and San Francisco.


This year’s Rotary Ireland Youth Leadership competition included an indepth interview covering varied topics such as the Coronavirus Pandemic, COP26 Environmental Conference issues, and Post Brexit implications for N Ireland of the NI Protocol. Noah will progress to a Zone Final to compete against pupil candidates from across the whole of Ireland.


Mr Gordon Robinson, President of Ballymoney Rotary Club, presented the winning prize for Ballymoney schools to Noah Patterson, and wished him well for the next stage of interviews.


The Rotary Club wishes to thank Mr Skelton, Head Teacher Dalriada School, Ms Anne Williamson, Head of Sixth Form, and Mrs Doreen Armstrong, President of Ballymoney Inner Wheel, for their assistance in organising and assisting with the interview.

Rotary Youth Leadership Competition

Evening Meeting, Lodge Hotel with guest speaker Farmer Poet Brian Rankin

Brian Rankin entertains the room with his hilarious poems

Rotary Past Presidents John Flynn and Jimmy Dunlop receive awards for outstanding service form current president Gordon Robinson

And they’re off …;…

                      Support team

Made it!

From right- Dr. John Flynn, Rotary Club of Ballymoney, Doreen Armstrong President of Ballymoney Inner Wheel, Gordon Robinson, President Rotary Club of Ballymoney,  Noah Patterson Winner, Tom Skelton Head Teacher Dalriada, Anne Williamson Head of Sixth Form Dalriada.


The winner of this year’s Jack Pinkerton Endeavour Award, awarded annually by the Rotary Club of Ballymoney to someone who has contributed above and beyond to the community in Ballymoney, is Winnie Mellett. Winnie has been in business in Ballymoney for 50 years, 42 of them as proprietor of the Winsome Lady. This is a well deserved award for Winnie who has been president of the Ballymoney Chamber of Commerce for many years and has been involved in the regeneration of the town.


Following their support of local charities at Christmas, Ballymoney Rotary Club have donated an additional £3000 to be shared between deserving local charities including CAP, Ballymoney Foodbank, St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. Our Club President Michael Fleming said ‘in these difficult times there has never been a greater need for our support for charitable causes and it is the intention of our club to provide further support in the months ahead. Many thanks are due to those who supported our recent Annual Charity Breakfast which raised £1650 and others who contributed funds to make our donations to these worthy causes possible’.

Ballymoney Rotary Club Annual Charity Breakfast supports local charitable causes


Ballymoney Rotary Club during lockdown


 Although the members of Ballymoney Rotary Club were not able to meet face to face for many months following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, they continued to meet regularly using Zoom. As well as the opportunity to chat to each other and even engage in fun activities such as ‘Would I lie to you?’, there were many interesting speakers with a wide variety of topics. Listed below are those that kept members entertained and spellbound during the first four months of 2021.



Rotary Club of Ballymoney are celebrating a landmark charitable achievement as one of hundreds of Rotary clubs from across the country to contribute over £1 million to Lendwithcare, a microfinance charity which enables people in the UK to make small loans to entrepreneurs from poor communities around the world.

Since October 2011, Rotary clubs across the UK have been raising funds to make small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries, enabling them to start or expand their small businesses and work their way out of poverty, feed their families and send their children to school.

More than £1 million has now been lent by Rotary to farmers, tailors, market stallholders and food producers to name just a few of the types of businesses Rotary have helped in 11 countries across Africa, Asia and South America.

The first Rotary club to join Lendwithcare was Currie Balerno Rotary Club in Midlothian, and Rotary Club of Ballymoney followed suit in November 2016

Rotary Club of Ballymoney have raised and lent a total of £4350, contributing towards the national £1 million landmark, with the club loaning to entrepreneurs in 11 countries. Over the last four years 30 loans have been granted, none of which have defaulted, supporting 570 entrepreneurs with 2170 family members benefiting with schooling and medical support and we have created 245 jobs.

Rotary Club of Ballymoney raised their share of the funds through members donating the minimum personal contribution of £15 each year.

Club spokesman President Elect Gordon Robinson said “Rotary Club of Ballymoney are proud to be a part of this fantastic initiative. Lendwithcare is a great way to help people out of poverty. You see exactly who the money is going to, and what they will use it for.The entrepreneur uses the funds to help them to earn a living, often employing family members and neighbours as well, helping to lift their communities out of poverty. They pay the loans back, which can be re-lent to person after person.”

Rotary is one of the world’s largest and most successful global membership and humanitarian service organisations, with 1.2 million members in over 200 countries volunteering their time and their talents to tackle challenges at home and abroad to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, support education, save mothers and children and grow local economies.

Gordon Robinson continued: “Rotary Club of Ballymoney has a proud history of fundraising for charitable causes through community events, and Lendwithcare is a fantastic cause very popular with our members. Local people have given generously and its a testament to their generosity that we’ve managed to reach an incredible £1 million. And that money will keep being re-lent and re-lent, translating into many millions of pounds worth of loans over the coming years.”

Head of Lendwithcare, Tracey Horner, added: “Through Lendwithcare, Rotary have helped change the lives of more than 5,000 entrepreneurs around the world so far. We’re grateful to every Rotary member who lends their time and energy to raise funds to lend to people trying to earn a living in some of the most challenging environments in the world. It really is life-changing for the people we work with, and we want to extend our huge thanks to Rotary Great Britain and Ireland, and everyone at Rotary Club of Ballymoney.”

Rotary Club of Ballymoney have assisted entrepreneurs such as 68 year old Vicente Chamba in Catamayo, Ecuador, who used his loan to buy maize and specialist feed for his chickens and goats which he raises and then sells in the street markets to make a living and support his family.  

Anyone can make a loan through Lendwithcare, or buy a Lendwithcare voucher as a Christmas gift. Loans start from £15 and will typically be paid back over 6-12 months. Follow Rotary Club of Ballymoney’s footsteps and visit www.lendwithcare.org to make a loan and change a life.

Ballymoney Rotary Club, in conjunction with Ballymoney Men’s Shed, have helped set up the hut and barriers at the 2020 Black Santa site. This year’s COVID restrictions have meant that this year the Rotary Club are unable to have a tree of remembrance but, as usual,the club will bank the Black Santa donations and members will stand in for Alastair on occasions should the need arise.

Because this year many people may be unable to give their donation to Black Santa in person, Ballymoney Rotary Club have setup an online fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/blacksanta2020.Donations can also be made using bank transfer/online banking to Sort Code 95-06-79 Account Number 40197432 Ballymoney Black Santa.

Black Santa Appeal 2020

           Winner announced for Jack Pinkerton Endeavour Award 2021


The winner of this year’s Jack Pinkerton Endeavour Award, awarded annually by the Rotary Club of Ballymoney to someone who has contributed above and beyond to the community in Ballymoney, is Peter Rollins, Director of Ballymoney Food Bank. Peter helped establish Ballymoney Food Bank seven years ago when he realised that some people in Ballymoney were, in desperation, walking to the food bank in Coleraine.  

Over the years the food bank in Ballymoney has provided many tonnes of food to families in distress caused by lost jobs, relationship breakdowns, sudden deaths, etc. During the current pandemic the need had multiplied many times. Rotary has provided support to the food bank in recent years and the members have been extremely impressed by the huge level of personal commitment that Peter has given to provide support to the vulnerable in the Ballymoney area.

Jack Pinkerton Endeavour Award 2020

Ballymoney Rotary Club Jimmy Dunlop, right, at the Black Santa site

Ballymoney Rotary Club held a successful charity breakfast in St. Patrick’s Parish Centre on Thursday 7th March.  Folllowing the event, Ballymoney Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs presented John Nicholl with a donation of £2,200. This donation is targeted towards helping John and his family buy a specialised Braille computer costing over £5,000 and required by John to aid communications with friends and family.


Ballymoney Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs recognise the outstanding achievements by John who serves as an ambassador for N Ireland not only in archery but also as a mentor to others who suffer from severely impaired hearing and visual disabilities.


Charity Breakfast 2019

In his first official act, incoming President of Ballymoney Rotary Club Michael Fleming presented the Jack Pinkerton Endeavour Award to Rosemary and Sean Cochrane, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the community. Over the last seven years the annual country and western concert they organise has raised £115,000 for local charities. The eight annual concert will be on Tuesday 17th September in Dunloy.


Jack Pinkerton Endeavour Award recipients 2019

Ballymoney Rotary Club held its third Annual Dragonboat Challenge on the River Bann at Drumaheglis Marina on Saturday 14th September 2019. Sixteen teams competed with Finvoy Young Farmers Club narrowly beating Roseyards BB to take the trophy for the second year running.

                                   Click Here for more Dragonboat Challenge photos

Roseyards BB edging ahead of the Ballymoney Rotary Club team in an early heat.

Rotarians assist Liam Beckett and Alastair Coyle with  2019 the Black Santa Appeal

Ballymoney Black Santa Appeal 2019

Ballymoney folk supporting the  Black Santa Appeal

The above photograph was taken with a group of local cyclists who have supported John for several years and accompany John on a tandem bicycle ride every week around the Causeway triangle.

John Nicholl suffers from a condition causing him total deafness and severe blindness. In the past he communicated using sign language but due to progressive severe visual impairment he communicates now only by touch sign language known only to a few people.

 

John is the first Ballymoney person to represent Northern Ireland as a Deaf / Blind Archer at the British Championships 2 years ago where he finished as runner up and last weekend won silver medal at the British Visually Impaired Championships in Shropshire where he set a new British record. He is now recognised to be the only Deaf / Blind Archer in Europe and possibly the world and will compete for Team GB in Blind Archery Category at the World Para Archery Championships in Holland in June this year. John competes with the support of a team including an interpreter and 2 coaches from Causeway Archers. His family have undertaken extensive fundraising activities to help fund John’s archery competitions including coffee mornings, table quizzes, and car boot sales. He and his family would value any support for any of these ongoing fundraising events.

Enjoying the Charity Breakfast

Left to right: Campbell Nicholl, Dr Robert Burns, Robin Taggart, John Nicholl, Dr John Flynn (President Ballymoney Rotary Club),Sarah Browne (Inner Wheel Club), Audrey Shields (President Inner Wheel Ballymoney), Peter Scott, Michael Fleming (Vice-President Ballymoney Rotary Club), David McKeown (Cyclist and Rotarian)


Left to right: Peter Scott, Dr John Flynn (President Ballymoney Rotary Club), John Nicholl and Robin Taggart

Click here for previous articles

Rotary President John Flynn congratulates Ernest Bustard from Flash Outside Catering for a job well done