Dundonald Community Band Play Stormont

Castlereagh Borough-based Dundonald Community Concert Band (DCCB) was delighted to be involved in yesterday's Stormont Family Fun day in aid of Children in Need. The weather just about held out as the brass, woodwind and percussion band played a broad range of favourites including Disney's 'The Lion King', Chicago's 'All That Jazz' and the toe-tapping 'Tijuana Brass'. The music was well-received by all! DCCB look forward to their next gig at Dundonald Primary School this Saturday 4th June 2011 - playing from 12noon to 2pm. Come along and join us! Visit http://www.dccb.co.uk for more pictures of yesterday's event and details of our upcoming gigs!

International Arts and Craft Exhibit in Castlereagh!

On Monday 23rd May an international arts and crafts exhibition landed in Castlereagh!

The exhibition represented the last part of a two-year project called ‘Dance of the creative hands’ which started in 2010 and included groups travelling from and to Austria, Greece, Northern Ireland, and Turkey.

The project involved a group from each country which developed and showed to the others a particular craft. There were different crafts on display, such as objects made with felt, crochet, handmade and knitted scarves, decorated eggs, each one showing particular details of each country… I fell in love with some eggs and the miniatures inside them, which were so cute and very detailed!

The exhibition was introduced by Amanda Marshall, EU Programme Co-ordinator at Ballybeen Women’s Centre, followed by the Mayor of Castelreagh, Vivienne McCoy, who expressed her pleasure in taking part in the reception. She was then followed by the representatives of each group talking in their own language and a translator from their group translating into English.

The reception was a real success, as was the project itself: Anne Walker, from Ballybeen Women’s Centre, stated that she was really pleased about the international project, it developed not only mutual understanding and participation, but also friendship and interest in the others… the group hopes to further develop their skills and they are already thinking of the next possible project. We have very happy to have such a great group of women in our Borough, and to have had the privelege of hosting such a friendly cosmopolitan group in the Council.