Lunch raises £355 for Haiti Appeal

On Shrove Tuesday, 16th February, the staff and a number of volunteers of The Link held a Bread, Cheese and Pancake lunch in aid of Haiti. 

Bread for the event was provided by Orr's bakery. One of the highlights was the beautiful pancakes made to order by Phil.

The Link would like to thank everyone who donated food, helped to prepare for and serve the lunch or attended on the day, to help those who have lost so much in the earthquake in Haiti. The event raised £355 and this has been donated to the Haiti Appeal through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

Newtownards Churches Forum Launches Churches Directory

The Newtownards Churches Forum was officially launched at Newtownards Town Hall on Saturday 23rd January.  At the launch, the Forum also published a new, comprehensive Newtownards Churches Directory.

The Chairman of the Forum Will McCrossan, from St Marks Church of Ireland, gave a brief history of the Forum and welcomed the Mayor, Councillor William Montgomery.  The Forum's Vice Chairman John Melvin, a member of Ards Evangelical Church, spoke about the projects and activities which the members of the Forum had worked on together, including provision of an important new resource for the town, the Newtownards Churches Directory.  The Directory gives contact details of 26 churches in the town, together with service times and listings of each church’s weekly activities by day and time.

The Churches Directory can be downloaded from The Link website or from the Ards Borough Council website.

PRESENTATION EVENING AT MAYOR’S PARLOUR

REWARDS VOLUNTEER ACHIEVEMENT

As part of the Volunteers’ Week celebrations this year, over 20 volunteers were presented with Volunteering Achievement Award certificates and thank you cards in recognition of their dedication, commitment and contribution as volunteers with The Link Family and Community Centre.

The Mayor, Councillor Jim Fletcher, who presented the certificates as part of the Volunteers’ week commented on the importance of volunteering as the mesh which often held communities together. “I want to thank you all on behalf of Ards Borough Council for the tremendous work you do through The Link.” he said.

Volunteers support the work of The Link across a number of programmes with young people, adults with long term problems of addiction to alcohol, alongside parents and carers in Totstime, Older People through the Monday lunch Club and members of the Ethnic minority community in a free evening class teaching English for speakers of other languages. They also provide a vital role in supporting publicity and fundraising, administration and the production of The Link’s quarterly newsletter. The recently opened Link Furniture MARC-it also has volunteer support both in the shop and in the collection and delivery of good quality second hand furniture.

 “The Link has over 50 volunteers working, an average of almost 100 hours per week throughout the year” said Diane Holt, the Director of The Link. “The Link would not be able to offer its wide range of support for members of the local community if it were not for the dedicated band of hard-working volunteers who offer of their time and energy freely to us.”

Of course people who volunteer also feel that volunteering enables them to give something back to the community. “I enjoy having the opportunity to have a positive input in the lives of others who have been less fortunate in their life than me and encouraging them to fulfil their potential.” said John Melvin a volunteer with the MARC Project.

If you would like to volunteer at The Link we are currently actively seeking volunteers to help with the MARC drop-in one morning per week and in The Link Furniture MARC-it. If you would be interested in a volunteering opportunity in either of these areas contact either Diane Holt or Naomi Boyd at The Link on 9182 1124 or email info@thelinkcentre.org.

On Thursday 19th February, the Mayor of Ards, Councillor Jim Fletcher opened The Link Furniture MARC-it at 29a South Street, with the dual purpose of supporting clients of the MARC Project and to raise much needed funds for the developing work.

The MARC Project has been supporting people struggling with addiction for  almost five years and the name comes from the fact that the project seeks to “Make a Real Change” in the lives of those who come into contact with it.

Anne Faloon, MARC Programme Manager explained how the project would support those with addictions involved in the MARC Programme. “For many of the people we work with on a regular basis, isolation, boredom and the need to be useful or give something back are daily issues.  Being involved in the Furniture MARC-it offers them an opportunity to be involved in a community project, build skills and confidence and make a real change by helping both those who buy the furniture and also others in The Link.”

She is excited about the forthcoming developments, and feels that this project will have real impact on those who have been dry for more than six months.  “Building structure into life is necessary to sustain independent living and prevent relapse.  This will offer another option for those who are making real progress, as they are encouraged to use skills and talents that may have been neglected or suppressed for years.”

However, The Link Furniture MARC-it is not just about support of clients. Director of The Link Diane Holt explained how important it would be for the continuing sustainability of all of The Link’s work “While The Link has been relatively successful in acquiring funding over the last few years, the funding climate at present is a difficult one and there is no guarantee that projects will receive funding in the future. Also complicated funding applications take time and energy and many funders place a huge administrative burden on the organisation – time that could be better spent on people and positive community activity. Having finance available which is not sourced from funding bodies will enable us to be much more flexible to respond to changing needs and to make decisions based on the needs and priorities we see and need to meet. ”

The Link is delighted that Ray Garrett, formerly Manager of Gregstown Furniture brings a wealth of experience of furniture retail to the project. Ray has been a volunteer with The Link, supporting the work of the MARC Project for a number of years and this experience makes him the ideal person for the job. Ray is already enjoying his new role and is keen to make the venture a success. “I think this is a good time to be opening a second hand furniture store with the current credit crunch and people struggling more and more to make ends meet” he said. “We are also being encouraged to re-use and recycle at the moment so we are also helping the environment.”

If you have items of furniture which you would like to donate to The Link Furniture MARC-it they can be collected from your home, and you can have the added pleasure of knowing that they are helping to Make A Real Change to The Link and the local community.  Just phone The Link on 9182 1124 or Ray on 075 9495 7471.

Tuesday 25th November saw the start of a new era for youth work at The Link as the youth programme began afresh with a new name, new faces and new content.

So, first things first, our new name Project 23. The name is to give the young people a common identity. Young people in Newtownards often associate themselves with the area they are from but Project 23 gives a common identity - it refers to the postcode of Newtownards, BT23, and emphasises what our young people have in common.  It breaks down divisions between estates and social groups by giving them the common ground.

With the new name we also introduced some new faces into the mix. Firstly our new youth worker, Ryan Lilly, who has already settled in well.  He has shown himself to be creative with his work on some of the walls in drop-in and has expressed an interest in bringing musicality to our drop-ins!   We also have a Young Adult Volunteer from the Presbyterian Church USA.  Elizabeth Cluff from Texas came to us in September and is keeping the rest of the youth team in line with an iron fist.  Elizabeth is especially gifted with craft and is running craft activities with the young people in drop-ins.

With Project 23 comes a focus on our group work. Recently we have seen a real need for building self-esteem and positive mental health.  While groups continue to look at issues such as drug and alcohol use and sexual health, we will also be looking at deeper underlying issues.

There are a number of other new and exciting programmes in the pipeline which we will have information on soon.

The Clandeboye Suite in Clandeboye Lodge was filled to capacity on Saturday 4 October for the fourth Christians Connecting with Community Prayer Breakfast.

Christians Connecting with Community (CCC) has been in existence for 5 years. It began with a women's prayer triplet and grew quite quickly when a number of women recognised they had a burden to pray for the town where they lived. The Link joined forces with them and this opened doors into the community. The Link became the channel through which information about local activities could become points for prayer.

Throughout the year The Link approaches agencies working in the town, asking them if they would like prayer for their work. No group has ever refused the offer and they regularly submit topics for prayer which are circulated around the folk who have committed to pray.

For the first time, the Prayer Breakfast was opened to men and a good number were present.   After an excellent breakfast, the audience listened to several speakers. The women from CCC welcomed everyone, shared some history and updated news on new initiatives - like the recent free English language classes for migrant workers. Diane Holt sang two challenging songs while video presentations highlighted some of the current social issues facing the community of Ards.

The main speakers, Duncan Morrow of the Community Relations Council and Derek Poole of LINC (Local Initiatives for Needy Communities), both addressed the theme ’Transforming or Conforming?’ How should the church react to the situation in which it finds itself?

The Irish Christian Endeavour has chosen The Link as its mission project for 2008-09.

Diane Holt expressed her gratitude to the CE for choosing to support The Link in this way. "We will really appreciate your interest, prayers and practical support this year".

The Link was introduced as mission project at the Christian Endeavour annual convention at Carnmoney Presbyterian Church in September. During the coming year, The Link will be visiting groups across Northern Ireland to meet CE members and bring news and information about the organisation's work.

Rev Alistair Bates, Rev John Alderdice and Canon Ken Higgins lead the dedication service at the site for The Link's new building.