Whiteabbey Shared Neighbourhood News Spring Edition 2021 Welcome to the Spring Edition of Whiteabbey Shared Neighbourhood Newsletter! This edition is packed full of news from across the community along with health & safety advice and information. Our hope is to provide some heart warming stories in these strange times we currently find ourselves in and to provide information regarding help, advice and support along with news on upcoming activities in the area.
Inside our Spring Edition is: What is Shared Housing Whiteabbey Good Relations Activities ScamwiseNI Easter Brownie Recipe Community Support Services Information How To Get Involved WHAT DOES SHARED HOUSING MEAN? The delivery of shared housing is now an action in the Programme for Government 2016 -2021, and the Department for Communities is committed to delivering approximately 200 shared social housing units per year as part of the Social Housing Development Programme. The Programme for Government shared housing is badged "Housing For All."
Each shared neighbourhood such as Abbeyville Place, Whiteabbey is supported through the development and delivery of a five-year Good Relations Plan. The Good Relations Plan is managed by the Housing Association developing the shared scheme and it includes ‘bonding’ programmes which are delivered to the new shared neighbourhood residents, and ‘bridging’ programmes which are delivered between the new shared residents and residents from surrounding communities. Abbeyville Place Christmas @ Home Boxes At Connswater Homes we had to plan a project that would adhere to the ever-changing COVID-19 restrictions. As we approach the end of another lockdown, we decided to follow on from how well the Diversity and Halloween at Home Spooktacular boxes had been received and create a Christmas at Home box.
They contained arts and crafts to decorate the home, luxury hot chocolate kits and Xmas bun kits.
We partnered with Artsekta who provided boxes which contained 5 craft kits to complete at home including Sand Art Craft, Nativity Lantern Making, Dreidel Making, Scratch Art Star and Christmas Pop Up Card Making.
We also included a Create your own Christmas wish list with your hopes and dreams for the future. 4 recipe cards including Filipino Coconut Cake, German Gingerbread, Mexican Ponche de Frutas and Hanukkah Potato Latkes. Materials including paint, pencils and brushes and a special Christmas sweet treat!
Above: Harper making Above: Artsekta box Above: Suzanne Irwin and Caoimhe Lawell Christmas buns with their Christmas boxes. Abbeyville Place Healthy Homes Pack
At the start of March, we delivered our Healthy @ Home packs. We felt it would be beneficial to launch a health and well-being programme aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyle changes. It is Connswater Homes hope that the packs would spread a bit of positivity and promote positive mental health while promoting the Take 5 steps to wellbeing campaign.
Each box included: Physical activity challenge . Family jigsaw. Mug painting set. Grow Your Own Lettuce & Chive Kits with activity sheet (in partnership with Plant and Play). Adult & child mindfulness colouring books. Card making craft. Bingo sheets & dabbers and invite to virtual bingo.
Above: Healthy @ Home packs
Above: Grow Your Own Veg kits Eyes Down ..... 20 tenants from Abbeyville Place tenants connected with one another by taking part in a online Bingo night, on Friday 5th March. The evening was a huge success with plenty of winners.
We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. Watch out for our next Bingo night which will be announced soon !
Due to the ongoing global pandemic Covid-19, we have had to rethink how we live and work. These unprecedented changes throughout the world has meant that here at Connswater Homes most of all the agreed Good Relations Shared Housing Projects that were to take place in 2020, have had to postponed, or re-designed to be delivered in a different way. Since Christmas, we have delivered a range of health and wellbeing activity packs. So, we had Children’s Mental Health week, where we delivered parcels containing a Happy Confident Me Journal, mindfulness exercises and mindful colouring to all kids aged 7-12 years old. On Monday 15th February we partnered with Amarc Above: Catering to deliver Pancake Making Kits to all houses in Grace's homemade pancakes Abbeyville Place, with 50 kits also delivered to Whiteabbey Community Centre. Wider Whiteabbey Community Initiatives
2021 started with a burst of activity in the Community Hub seeing committee and volunteer members working hard making up activity packs for both young and old in the Community to help stave off the isolating and lonely affects the ongoing pandemic is causing.
Activity packs vary from week to week with sewing kits, knitting, colouring and puzzle books always popular. They are free to residents within the Whiteabbey Area and available to collect from the Centre every Wednesday from 10am – 2pm.
The Hub currently remains closed to in-house groups – Men’s, Women’s, Fibro & Wellbeing and Junior and Senior Youth Clubs and we have found that the distribution of activity packs has been an essential lifeline to stay connected with everyone. Most recently we were able to distribute Pancake Day kits supplied by Connswater Homes to the groups and they proved to be a massive hit with all! Thanks, Connswater Homes!
St Patricks Day
We enjoyed a socially distanced style event this year with all Group members, Youth Clubs and Volunteers receiving afternoon tea inspired take away lunch boxes to enjoy! Wider Whiteabbey Community Initiatives
EASTER @ Whiteabbey Hub
The Easter Bunny will be making an appearance at the Hub handing out Easter eggs to everyone who passes so please come along and get a selfie and take part in the balloon hunt. Details will be available on the Whiteabbey Hub FB page, Hub and Community noticeboards on Friday 19 March.
We have wonderful Easter Hampers made up for the annual ballot and tickets can be purchased from the Hub on Mondays and Wednesdays 10am -2pm at £1 per strip, ballots will be drawn on Wednesday 31 March, Good Luck.
Last but not least we can announce that our community noticeboard is now fully functional and situated in the Glen behind the Hub, the hope is that it will be utilised by all the Community who would like to display a notice or raise awareness!
*DUE TO THE EVERCHANGING COVID GUIDELINES, WE ARE WORKING HARD TO SET DATES AND HOPE SOME OF THESE EVENTS MAY EVEN HAPPEN OUTDOORS. PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR FURTHER INFO ON THESE EVENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA*
Be Scam Wise!
The PSNI in ‘L’ District would like to remind the public to be a bit more Scamwise! Based on UK figures, in any year, most of us will be targeted with an attempt to scam us out of money. We all need to be more Scamwise and use the scam test:
For more information go to - https://www.psni.police.uk/crime/fraud/scamwise-ni/Scam
Types of Scams 1. Advance fee scams – scammers get people to send money for a range of dodgy or non-existent goods and services, or to collect lottery “winnings” or a false inheritance etc. 2. Pyramid selling – people are told they can earn money by recruiting new members to a money-making venture. Only a tiny minority make money, everyone else loses. 3. Phishing – an email apparently from the receiver’s bank arrives requesting them to update, validate or confirm details. It’s designed to trick people into revealing personal information and passwords so that scammers can access their account. 4. Phishing and malware – Action Fraud reports increasing use of phishing to distribute malware, which then results in the compromise of online accounts, payment diversion and more phishing emails. 5. SMShing – mobile phone text messages are used to lure people onto fraudulent websites or invite them to call a premium rate mobile number or download malicious content via the phone or web. 6. Voice phishing or vishing – the criminal practice of obtaining personal or financial information over the telephone. Be Scam Aware Training
Be Scam Aware-Online Safety Tuesday, April 13, 2021 10:00 AM 11:00 PM This online session in partnership with Ulster Bank will raise awareness of the various types of scams you might encounter online and will provide hints and tips on how to stay safe! To register for any of the course just email [email protected]
The ScamwiseNI Partnership was established in November 2016 and now has over 30 organisations involved with representatives from faith groups, youth organisations and the charity sector. As it grows, each organisation provides their unique knowledge, perspective and contribution.
The objective of Partnership is to engage and inform the community about the risks of scams and the range of scams that exist. The Partnership is mindful of the particular need to provide information to assist the more vulnerable in our society and highlight the number of scams to them. Encouraging people to discuss the topic of scams with friends and families, to report scams, help protect and support each other against scams, formed the campaign’s ethos.
Increased awareness results in people being more able to stay safe from scams, so they don’t fall victim. Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church
As with most other organisations the life and work of the congregation in Whiteabbey Presbyterian continues online. In addition to our main weekly activity of streaming our Sunday morning g service, our home groups and youth activities are all delivered via Zoom. As a large building in the centre of the village we are aware that many who live locally may never have set foot in the building, so we would love to have you join us online on a Sunday morning, or at any time via our YouTube Channel. We have also been providing pastoral support for our congregation via a telephone ‘chat’ service and this has been very much appreciated by our members. And although not widely used, we continue to offer practical help and support for anyone who needs shopping done or prescriptions collected. This time last year our Storehouse service was transferred to colleagues in Carrickfergus. We are however still working in partnership with them and very happy to help in any way with the provision of food / meals for anyone in need in the Whiteabbey/Jordanstown area. We were also delighted recently to have our facilities used by the NI Blood Transfusion Service – hopefully the first of a number of sessions this year. Our covid help email is still active ([email protected]) and we can also be contacted via phone at 028 9086 4084. We can also be messaged via our Facebook page. Hazelwood Integrated Nursery and Primary School.
On Monday 8th March the staff of Hazelwood Integrated Nursery and Primary School welcomed back the children in Nursery , P1, P2 and P3. As can be seen both the staff and children were happy to see each other. We would like to thank all the staff for their dedication to home learning during lockdown and to the parents for supporting their children through this difficult and unusual situation. The children in P4-P7 will be returning on 22nd March and our Principal, Mr McDaid will be leading the staff again to welcome our older children. Easy Easter Brownie Bites
INGREDIENTS 175g butter , chopped 150g dark chocolate 250g light brown soft sugar 85g self-raising flour 50g cocoa powder 3 large eggs , beaten 100g milk chocolate chips 24 mini chocolate eggs , plus extra to decorate
INSTRUCTIONS STEP 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 24 holes of a mini muffin tray with paper cases. Put the butter, dark chocolate and sugar in a pan and heat it very gently, stirring all the time until the butter and chocolate have melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few mins. STEP 2 Meanwhile, sift the flour, cocoa and a good pinch of salt into a large bowl. Stir in the warm, melted chocolate mixture and the beaten eggs, then add half the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. STEP 3 Divide the mixture between the cases and place a mini egg into the middle of each muffin, pushing down gently. Bake for 12-15 mins until cooked but still gooey in the centre – they will continue cooking a little as they cool down. Leave to cool for 10 mins in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. STEP 4 Melt the rest of the chocolate chips in short bursts in the microwave, or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring frequently. Leave to cool until it is quite thick, then dot a small amount on each cake and stick on some more mini eggs. Home Easter Egg Hunt Here are some Easter Egg Scavenger hunt clues for you to cut out and enjoy with the kids. HAPPY EASTER!
With this clue, you'll have What goes brrmmm and Is it time to to follow your nose, travels far? eat some grub? Where does mummy put all Yes, your next clue Or have a bath, the stinky clothes? is in the …. inside the….?
Solving clues, Where the tooth fairy, The treasure hunt is almost isn't hard you see. leaves your pound up The next one is where the next one so have you looked is in the … can be found. inside the ….
The last clue is easy, In this place, we're You put this on, it's not hard to look, supposed to rub our feet, when you're feeling cold. the next one is found open the door, "Fasten it up properly", inside a ...... to see who to greet! you're always being told!
This is where you eat In this place, In this place, Mummy your dinner it's very cold puts her toes Find the hidden clue, "Close the door properly" take a big breath, and you're the winner! you're always being told! and cover your nose! Community Support Services Lockdown restrictions continue to be in place in one form or another which can be a very isolating time for many. There are a range of services still operating. These include befriending, listening ear and welfare advice.
Please find below details of support services operating in the area.
COVID-19 Community Helpline You can now access a free Advice NI helpline for information & advice, available 9AM-5PM, 7 days a week. Tel: 0808 802 0020 Email: [email protected]. Text ACTION to 81025
Age N.I. Advice and Advocacy Service Providing free confidential advice and support for older people, their family and carers on welfare benefits, community care, residential and nursing care, housing and health. Tel: 0808 808 7575 Email: [email protected] Website. ageni.org/advice. Open from 8am to 7.00pm 7 days a week.
Community Advice Antrim & Newtownabbey Antrim Office: Farranshane House, 1 Ballygore Road, Antrim BT41 2RN. Newtownabbey Office: Dunanney Centre, Rathmullan Drive, Newtownabbey, BT37 9DQT. Tel: 0289590 6505 Website: communityadvicean.co.uk
Newtownabbey Food Bank Carnmoney Church, 258 Carnmoney Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 6JZ. Tel: 0758 117 9604 Antrim Foodbank c/o Oasis Antrim, 10d High Street, Antrim BT41 4AN. For opening times and referral details contact Tel: 0751 581 3374.
Good Morning Newtownabbey A free telephone service for older and vulnerable people within the community that offers advice and support to reduce isolation. Tel: 028 9086 6385
Good Morning Antrim A free telephone service for older and vulnerable people within the community that offers advice and support to reduce isolation. Tel: 028 9446 4619 This is the COVID-19 Response Telephone and Alert Service for those feeling vulnerable and isolated.
Supporting Communities Digital Training
To register for any of the course just email [email protected] -
Twitter for Beginners Learn to make the most of Instagram Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Monday, April 19, 2021 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 11:00 AM 12:00 PM Want to start tweeting? Come along to this Want to know more about Instagram? This short short sessions to learn the basics you’ll need session will look at this fast-growing social media to get started on Twitter! platform and how you can make the most of it.
Learn to make the most of Facebook Online Banking-Safety Demonstration with Wednesday, April 14, 2021 Ulster Bank 12:00 PM 1:00 PM Wednesday, April 21, 2021 Do you know how to use all the features of 11:00 AM 12:00 PM your Facebook account? This short session Join us for a session with Ulster Bank to look at will take you through some useful and the ins and outs of online banking and learn important things you should know if you are how your accounts are kept safe when using this popular social media platform. transacting online.
We would love to hear from you Would you like to add anything to our upcoming newsletters? We would love to hear from you. Anything from personal stories to poems or anything you may feel would be of interest to residents of Whiteabbey
Please get in touch by emailing [email protected] Connswater H omes Ltd, 5 Citylink Business Park, Albert Street, Belfast BT12 4HQ. T: 02890 656155 www.connswater.org.uk