Baltinglass Jotter

Talented Baltinglass Badminton player, Amira Pender travelled across the Irish Sea to compete in an Under 13 Gold Event in Kent last weekend. Amira had a tough 3 setter semi-final against Nikita Vadugu from Berkshire coming up shy 21-16, 9-21, 21-19 to take bronze in the Girls Singles Event.

In the Girls doubles Amira, alongside her partner Hannah Shochan, beat the number 2 seeds in the quarter finals to reach a place in the semi-final, however Tushara Senthilrajaram and Vedanshi Jain were to favour a place in the Finals.

Amira is following in the footsteps of her older sister Zarah who is also a very talented young player. Zarah was presented with a memorable framed photo by one of her Coaches, Sam McKay for winning the U13 National Championship back in 2020. Due to covid the presentation only took place last week.

Congratulations also to Chloe McGrane who secured a place on the Leinster U18 team. Chloe will travel to Nottingham in April to compete in the U18 ICC Nottingham Championships. Baltinglass Badminton Club is very lucky to have 2 great coaches, John Almond from Carlow and Sam McKay from Dublin who put the kids through their training programmes every week. The Club’s doors are always open to new juvenile members and adults.

Juvenile Beginners classes are on Thursday at 4.30 p.m. and for Adults on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the Hall in Euro Park Baltinglass. Contact 087 6431831 or message their FB page for more information.

West Wicklow Historical Society

The first event of the West Wicklow Historical Society to take place is their Annual General Meeting open to current and new members, on Wednesday, March 9 at 8 p.m. in Baltinglass Golf Club.

Upcoming Lectures for Spring 2022, with admission of €5 in each case include: ‘Glendalough – An Age-Old Attraction’ by Joan Kavanagh on Tuesday, April 12 at 8 p.m. in the Lalor Centre (behind St. Joseph’s Church), Baltinglass.

Next up will be a talk entitled ’Evolution from Landlords to Tenant Proprietors: the story of Hacketstown’s new English settlement over 250 years’ by Oliver Whelan on Tuesday, May 3 at 8 p.m. in the Lalor Centre, Baltinglass.

2022 annual membership subscriptions of €20 single and €30 family will be accepted at any of the above events or may be sent to: Mrs. Sheila O’Toole, The Smithys, Grange Con Village, Grange Con, Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow, W91 W8CO. Please note that there are some members on the WWHS email list who had eircom.net addresses and cannot now be contacted. If they wish to update their contact details, they can email wwhistsoc@gmail.com.

Date for your Diary

Rathdangan Drama Group is delighted to be back rehearsing for their new play, ‘Nobody’s Talking to Me’, a hilarious comedy written by Tommy Marren and set in 1969. They are letting you know in advance the dates of performances, as follows: Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April and Thursday 28, Friday 29 and Saturday 30 April. Further details to follow closer to the time. But keep your eyes peeled so you don’t miss out.

Thanks

The Bigstone Community Hall committee would like to express their sincere thanks to the whole community who turned out in such numbers to support and participate in the Tractor Run & Community Day last Sunday. It was a great success, and they were delighted to see the community spirit alive and well once again.

Day Care Centre meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the West Wicklow Day Care Committee will take place in the Day Care Centre, Baltinglass Hospital on Wednesday, March 23 at 8 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Active Retired coffee mornings

Baltinglass & District Active Retired Coffee Mornings are back and during March will be held on Fridays at 11 a.m. in Baltinglass Golf Club. All welcome.

Social Dancing

The Hill Bar and Lounge in Hacketstown will have a Social Dancing night every Wednesday commencing on March 2 from 9.30 p.m. Admission is €8. Every Monday night is Irish Night, a Trad session from 9 p.m.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight is happening from February 21 to March 6 with the theme of ‘Choose the World That You Want’. For the two weeks each year 100s of individuals, companies and groups across Ireland come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food, to increase awareness of exploitation and under payment, and to promote the sale of Fairtrade products.

Baltinglass Fairtrade group is asking everyone to make a simple choice and buy Fairtrade products and use their purchasing power for a better and fairer world.

Baltinglass Fairtrade group will have posts on their social media promoting all things Fairtrade. So keep an eye out and like their posts to show your support.

Help for Ukraine

Moore’s in Grangecon village will become a collection point for donations to the Ukrainian refugee appeal this week. Essential items that are required include: Non-perishable food items, Medical/ First Aid supplies, Sanitary wear, Baby supplies- baby food, baby bottles, Milton, wipes, nappies

Toiletries, toothpaste/ toothbrushes, phones and battery packs, warm clothes and jackets. No duvets or toys please. Donations to Red Cross Ukrainian appeal and UNICEF are also welcome.

Thank you in advance to everyone for your support. Phone 087 9609855 before drop off.

Easter Art Camp

Tribe Art Studio in Castledermot will hold an Easter Art Camp for one week from Monday, April 11 to Friday, April 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for children aged 5+. The camp is designed to engage and spark creativity in your little ones. The cost is €85 per day for first child and €80 for each child thereafter. To book contact Rose at 085 7167385 or email rose@tribeartstudio.ie. You can also log on to tribeartstudio.ie.

Baltinglass Mart

Baltinglass Mart continue their Calf Sales every Saturday at 12 noon. All breeds of calves required. Special Dry Cow Sale this Wednesday, March 2 with all breeds included. The following Wednesday, March 9 is the Special Beef and Store Sale. You can contact Baltinglass Mart at 059 6481104.

Coaches needed

Baltinglass GAA LGFA is looking for coaches for their Senior and Junior Ladies football teams. If you are interested email Baltinglass.wicklow@lgfa.ie.

Tidy Towns

If you have an hour to spare any Saturday, you would be very welcome to join with others at McAllister for a litter pick up around the town. If the time does not suit, you can take photos of yourself picking up litter and send them in to the Baltinglass Tidy Towns facebook or Instagram pages. Your photo could win you the monthly Tidy Towns competition. Your support would be much appreciated.

Baltinglass Further Education

Baltinglass Further Education and Training present two new courses: ‘Make the most of your Smartphone’ and ‘CV Preparation and Interview Skills’ starting in the coming weeks.

Learn more about what your smartphone and what it can do. This 4-week course will take you through the capabilities of your smartphone and how to use it. These classes will take place one evening a week and will be taught in small class groups to make for a better learning experience.

‘CV Preparation and Interview Skills’ is an opportunity to improve your chances for employment. Gain skills and confidence with interviews and come out with an effective and impressive CV.

For more details on these courses, please contact Annette/Maeve at 059 6482642 or 086 8462771 or email abebaltinglass@kwetb.ie.