SPOOKY EXPRESS.
Waterford Suir Valley Railway are already getting organised for their Halloween Spooky Express. This is always very popular and bookings are made very fast. Many scary looking individuals and creatures begin to arrive at the railway in the coming weeks to hide out for the chance to be part of the Spooky Express. It will run from October 27th to November 3rd. Bookings can be made online or by calling the ticket office on 051 384058 between 10am and 4pm.
JERSEY SPONSORSHIP
Ballyduff GAA Club would like to say a huge thank you to Mark Scannell of Waterford Motor Village who has generously sponsored a set of jerseys for the U6 players. This is greatly appreciated by the club and ask you to give Mark a shout if you are thinking of upgrading your car.
CHOIR PRACTICE.
It was wonderful to hear our lovely parish choir back singing at Sunday morning mass after their well-deserved summer break. Their beautiful collection of hymns really enhance our mass, and it is lovely to see members of the congregation singing along. The choir rehearse every Wednesday night from 8pm to 9pm in the church and would be delighted to welcome some new members. Drop along to rehearsal and you will be made very welcome.
TESCO COMMUNITY FUND
Ballyduff Lower Camogie Club are delighted to have been chosen yet again for the Tesco Blue Token Community Fund. This time it was launched in the Tesco Poleberry store on August 26th and will run for 16 weeks. This money will benefit the entire club so please encourage your family and friends to drop along to Tesco Poleberry and drop their blue token into the Ballyduff Lower slot.
SACRISTAN COLLECTION
We are very lucky in St. Nicholas’s Church, Ballyduff to have such a dedicated and loyal sacristan. Ann always goes above and beyond the call of duty and is a friendly welcoming face to all who visit the church. She keeps our church in immaculate condition and ensures everything is in place for all occasions. The annual sacristan’s collection will be taken up at all weekend masses over the next couple of weekends. There is an assigned envelope in your yearly pack, but you can also use any envelope and simply mark it for the Sacristan collection.
TIME TO SHINE
Is your inner diva waiting to escape or were you born to strut your stuff on stage. Ballyduff Lower LGFA will hold a lip sync battle on Saturday October 5th at The Sweep Bar. Choose your partner, family members, friends to give the performance of a lifetime. Choose your song and wow us all with your outfit and then practice moving those lips to perfection. Will you choose a power ballad, rock classic or will you add some serious choreography, the choice is yours.
I have seen a few signs around the parish that rehearsals are under way. I spotted a pair of blue suede shoes through the fence of a garden, glitzy satin flares blowing on a clothesline and my daughter who is a hairdresser has been asked if she can do a beehive? Sounds like it’s going to be a great night. For more information, please contact Anita on 087 6776544.
TIME FOR CARDS.
The very popular game of 30’s has resumed on Thursday nights at 7.30pm in Ballyduff Community Centre. This is open to individuals and teams of three and proved very popular before they took a little summer break. This is a lovely way to spend a few hours during the Autumn and Winter months and a great way to meet people.
BALLYDUFF AFC FUNDING
Ballyduff AFC are thrilled to receive news that they have been awarded a fantastic amount of €141,709.00 through the Sports Capital Grant. This injection of cash has come as a great time as the club plan their clubhouse extension project. This project will include female dressing rooms, a football-for-all room, disabled toilets, a gym and a shared-use meeting room.
The club are very grateful for the support of the community and the local representatives. Our local club has wonderful facilities and the boys and girls of the club are going from strength to strength. They have been very lucky being part of a club who are always thinking ahead and planning better facilities for all who use the club and new members in the future.
GAA FUNDING
Ballyduff GAA Club were also the lucky recipients of €74,496.00 from the Sports Capital Allocation Grant. This funding will be a huge help to the club with their improved facilities project. The club cater for all age groups and have wonderful LGFA and Camogie teams. They have welcomed many new members to the club and are constantly looking at ways to improve and enhance their club. Our club will use this funding to give their members the best possible facilities. The club are very grateful to all who support them.
MILES FOR MIMI
September was especially dedicated to the awareness and research of Myeloma Cancer and Myeloma Ireland encouraged all to get out and get active and clock up the miles. Local lady Mimi Laffan is fighting and winning the battle against Myeloma Cancer and along with her family and friends she took up the campaign and while each individual clocked up their own miles, they also held some group walks around the county. On Sunday September 22nd, it was the turn of Mimi’s home parish to come together and join the cause. It was wonderful to see so many of all ages gather outside St. Nicholas’s Church in Ballyduff and join in solidarity to walk those steps in support of the myeloma campaign.
Before leaving the village, Mimi spoke to those gathered and expressed her deepest gratitude to all who had got behind this campaign and given her such fantastic support and encouragement. She said how humbled she felt to see such support. She gave a special mention to good friend and popular parishioner Dod Whelan who went to his heavenly home in recent weeks. Dod was a great support to Mimi during her treatment and she said she will never forget his kindness.
As the group headed off on their route, there were cheers and sounds of laughter. The route took the participants past the beautiful sights of the Knockaderry Lake. Once the walkers returned to the village, they were treated in the Community Centre to an array of sandwiches, cakes and treats. Mimi’s native place certainly did her proud and showed her that she is not alone in her battle. A big well done to all who were involved in the organisation of this event. Working together brings great rewards.