Take a look at our latest News sheet.
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RNID, the national charity making life fully inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss or tinnitus, is today launching a new free online hearing check that only takes 3 minutes.

Take the hearing check
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​Warrenpoint Municipal Park Tour Guiding Course:
 
Council in partnership with National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland and SERC are offering FREE training opportunities for 
those working within tourism or interested in local heritage.
For further information please email us or complete the short application by clicking the link:  https://tinyurl.com/yedc4b5f
E. warrenpoint.park@nmandd.org Tel. 0330 137 4814

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The Big Lunch is all about celebrating community connections and getting to know each other better.  Join in with neighbourly acts of friendship.Taking part can be a simple act of friendship with a few folk rather than a full blown street party this year! Keep within the Covid rules and get in touch if you need advice.

There are more reasons than ever to take part as The Big Lunch kicks of a #MonthofCommunity.  Starting with Volunteers week at the start of June and running through to Thank You Day on 4 July, you can join in and recognise volunteers and key workers who make your community a better place to live and you can do your bit by reaching out to reconnect with neighbours too.
However small your action, please register and know that you are helping strengthen community spirit.
Helping hand
Everyone who registers their intentions to take part in #TheBigLunch this summer will be entered into a draw to win one of 50 £25 vouchers which you can use to support your activity.

• An ice cream van will visit one lucky group
• Jane McClenaghan of Vital Nutrition will arrange a follow up healthy food day with a group on a day of your choice before end of 2021, all you have to do is register and plan to do something

Taking part can be as simple as using your lunch time for neighbourly acts of friendship in your community and you do not need to be part of a group or organisation to apply.

• Step 1  –  Register your interest at www.thebiglunch.com – select an immediate download pack or you can order a printed pack while stock lasts.
• Step 2 – Email gmccloskey@edenproject.com your name, area and what you plan to do.
• Step 3 – Visit us on Social media and tag saying: I’m taking part in #TheBigLunch2021 www.thebiglunch.com our social media handles are here Facebook Twitter Instagram

People who are successful will be contacted on 29 May and sent their voucher by email that day.
 
Stickers, bunting and t shirts are available whilst stock last.
 
Thanks for your interest
 
Gráinne McCloskey
Northern Ireland Manager
Eden Project Communities
Tel:   07703189048
 
Take part in The Big Lunch 2021 www.thebiglunch.com
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New cyber security 'Early Warning' service from NCSC -  Free for any UK organisation with a static IP or domain.
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Early Warning is a free NCSC service designed to inform your organisation of potential cyber attacks on your network, as soon as possible. The service uses a variety of information feeds from the NCSC, trusted public, commercial and closed sources, which includes several privileged feeds which are not available elsewhere.
Early Warning filters millions of events that the NCSC receives every day and, using the IP and domain names you provide, correlates those which are relevant to your organisation into daily notifications for your nominated contacts via the Early Warning portal.
Organisations will receive the following high level types of alerts:

• Incident Notifications – This is activity that suggests an active compromise of your system.
  For example: A host on your network has most likely been infected with a strain of malware.
• Network Abuse Events – This may be indicators that your assets have been associated with malicious or undesirable activity.
  For example: A client on your network has been detected scanning the internet.
• Vulnerability and Open Port Alerts – These are indications of vulnerable services running on your network, or potentially undesired applications are exposed to the internet.
  For example: You have a vulnerable application, or you have an exposed Elasticsearch service.

You can sign up to the service at the following link:https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/early-warning-service

Police in Armagh are helping householders show doorstep criminals the door through a new scheme to keep 'rogue traders' at bay.

Using the 'No Cold Calling Zone...no uninvited traders' window stickers, developed in association with Trading Standards, cold callers can now be warned away and a contact number provided to report those who ignore the sticker's warning to Trading Standards.

The stickers are available from police and can be displayed in the front door or front window of your home to discourage cold calling.

While it should be noted that not all cold callers are rogue traders, the project has been developed by police to put a stop to those unofficial traders who may over-charge for poor quality work or work that is never completed at all. The stickers give a householder the opportunity to warn cold callers that they are not wanted at their door, that ignoring that warning could constitute a breach of 'Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading' regulations and that further action may be taken by Trading Standards.

The project is not designed to apply to established callers such as a milk delivery or window-cleaners.

Inspector Kieran Quinn, Armagh Neighbourhood Policing, said, " No Cold Calling Zones are designed to discourage rogue traders who may be trying to sell shoddy or over-priced goods, or who try to trick their way into the house to commit a burglary. They also help to tackle fear of crime by making people feel more secure in their own homes, and give them the confidence to tell unwanted callers to leave. Most callers at your door will be genuine but someone could be trying to gain access to look around your property or charge you far too much for shoddy or non-existent work. The best place for would-be scammers is well away from your door, which is why we are providing these schemes to help people show doorstep criminals the door.”

No Cold Calling Zone stickers are available on request from your local Crime Prevention Officer by calling 101.

Neighbourhood Policing Officers, Constable Alix Matthews and Constable Brendan Thompson are working in your area and can provide no cold calling stickers and further information.
Alix can be contacted on mobile: 07825181742 or email: alix.matthews@psni.police.uk and Brendan can be contacted on mobile: 07825146801 or email: brendan.thompson@psni.police.uk
 
For further information log onto www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni

Dementia NI is well established across Northern Ireland but was relatively new in the ABC, and Newry & Mourne areas, when the pandemic hit. 
 
Their plans to launch face to face groups was put on hold, and so they want to reach out to local organisations and groups to let you know that we are still accepting referrals and working with people with dementia in the area.
 
Dementia NI is a member-leg organisation giving people with dementia the opportunity to have their voices heard, taking part in research, consulting on services, and raising awareness. As well as that, they have a great group of people living well with dementia, all offering each other peer support and friendship.  Usually, they meet at venues in Banbridge, Armagh and Newry, but during the pandemic they have been hosting a range of online opportunities for members, including online yoga, quilt making, and Empowerment Groups.
 
Please share the information via social media, email lists, or on notice boards. I would be happy to post out some of our leaflets (see attached) if you have somewhere to display them? I would also be pleased to hear about any community engagement events, or any opportunities to raise the profile of Dementia NI in the area.

Farming and Food Photography Competition
 
With farming at the heart of our borough, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is currently in the process of developing an innovative Agriculture Strategy – leading the way as the first council within Northern Ireland taking a strategic approach to the agriculture industry.
 
Your help is needed! Amateur photographers are invited to put their skills to the test and enter the Farming and Food Photography Competition – with the winning photos being featured within this strategy and online gallery.
 
There will be eight categories to choose from and each entrant can enter a maximum of two photographs across the following categories:
·         Farming Generations and Family
·         Farming Innovation
·         Food Production
·         Landscapes
·         Local Food
·         Livestock
·         Machinery
·         Young photographer (open to anyone under 16 years of age on the closing date)
 
The winner of each category will also receive a £50 meal voucher at an independent restaurant or cafe within the Borough.
 
The competition opens on Saturday 1st May and the closing date is Friday 28th May at 4pm. The competition is for amateur photographers only. All entries should be emailed to agri@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk and should be labelled with your name and category.
 
All competition rules can be found here: https://www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/farming-food-photo-comp
 
More information on the strategy, which aims to set the direction for agriculture, agri-food, agri-business and agri-tech in the borough can be found here: https://www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/business/agriculture-strategy/