Make the most of the last remaining days of summer with a visit to Springhill.

Kids can grab a ‘50 Things to Do’ scrapbook from Reception and explore the fantastic Natural Play Trail. Make a mud pie, set up a snail race, see what’s inside a tree and hunt for bugs. The Springhill Natural Play Trail is one of the best in the country and comes complete with rope swing, dens and mythical creatures including their new tree guy ‘Ernie’ who is always ready to give hugs.

Be prepared for hours of fun in the all new ‘Costume Closet’. Kids can let their imagination run wild in this fun dress up area. Those who enjoy dressing up as a King, a Queen or a Princess can even have their photo taken in front of one of the magical backdrops and have a go on the interactive costume games.

The Springhill team is also pleased to announce the opening of the all new ‘Barn Café’. The Café which has been recently relocated to the 1690 Barn and will be serving homemade soup, fresh scones, tray bakes, cakes, hot and cold drinks and ice creams. There’s free Wi-Fi too so the big kids can catch up on the latest news over a speciality coffee and a mouth-watering slab of carrot cake while the little ones make their own fun.

Young detectives can join the Pest Quest in the house and see what’s eating Springhill’s collection. Help the conservation team track down all the pesky pests hiding out among the furniture and fabrics and receive a sticker when the quest is complete.

Edward Mason, General Manager commented “We have so much to offer families and individuals alike this summer at Springhill. Go wild in the outdoors or revere in the history of this remarkable plantation home on a tour of the house. At Springhill you can make your own adventure!”

In addition to the daily offer at Springhill, local musicians will entertain visitors every Sunday throughout July and August in the old Laundry Yard. The Drying Yard Nursery, recently launched by Cherrie McIlwaine from Gardeners Corner will also be open to visitors.

Springhill is open 7 days a week in July and August from 12-5pm and promises lots of fun for all the family. For more information visit nationaltrust.org.uk/springhill or find us on facebook NationalTrustMidUlster.

Northern Ireland’s leading music and arts festival, Sunflowerfest, which runs from 5th – 7^th August 2016 at Tubby’s Farm, Hillsborough, will be teaming up with advocates of Laughter Yoga to co-host another Guinness World Record attempt for the Largest Laughter Yoga class!

Having won the title in 2014, the festival was moved off the top spot last year by a group in Hong Kong who set a new record.

While over 400 people participated to break the laughing record in 2014, this year the festival aims to beat the current record of 1030 and needs people to come to Sunflowerfest’s Main Arena and join organisers Kathy Barenskie, Nuala McKeever, and Irish singing duo the Twisted Sisters in a 30 minute laughter yoga class on Sunday 7^th August at 11am, to ‘laugh’ their way back to the title.

Speaking about the world record attempt, Kathy Barenskie, Bliss co-ordinator said, “This unusual event was inspired by Jackie Ingram, a laughter yoga teacher, and Siobhan Bogues, founder and director of the Lighthouse Centre, Belfast, who both sadly passed away in recent years after battling cancer and we hope to regain the title in their honour.”

The concept behind Laughter Yoga is that it is a unique form of exercise that gives us a complete, holistic workout – influencing our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.  With this in mind  the World Record attempt  is also an opportunity  to raise awareness for Bliss  partners Lifeline 0808 808 8000, Northern Ireland’s 24/7 crisis helpline and counselling service. Lifeline is available for people of all ages and  from all walks of life who  may experience  feelings of distress and despair and need to speak to qualified crisis counsellors to access  immediate support.

Offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the vibrant weekend-long festival, Sunflowerfest Bliss area, will feature complementary therapies, all-inclusive yoga sessions, and a tranquil chill-out zone. This year we will use this attempt to raise the profile of LIFELINE, Northern Ireland’s only free phone crisis helpline and counselling service available 24/7 on 0808 808 8000. Lifeline is for people of all ages and all walks of life who at times may be in distress and in need of emotional support and often have nowhere to turn.

Claire O’Prey from Lifeline said: “Sunflowerfest attracts a cross section of people from across Northern Ireland and beyond, Lifeline is delighted to be involved with the 2016 festival. Our  staff will be present over the weekend  and we look forward to meeting new people at our promotional stand, to tell them more about how  Lifeline service can help them, their friends and family . The event also offers us an excellent opportunity to promote the 24/7 free-phone number 0808 808 8000,  recommending to all who attend the festival to add  the number to their phone before they leave the festival.”

Work is progressing on Belfast’s newest hotel, as the Beannchor Group announces it plans to open its highly anticipated new £4M hotel, Bullitt Belfast to the public this October.

The brainchild of the people behind the city’s five-star Merchant Hotel, The National Grande Café/sixty6, The Dirty Onion, Little Wing Pizzeria and over 40 pubs across Northern Ireland – the new hotel promises to bring a new and exciting hospitality concept to Belfast.

As construction of the new hotel steps up a gear, media were given a first sneak peek of the property, which wraps Victoria Street and Ann Street with a guided hard hat tour on Tuesday 2^nd August.

Named after the Steve McQueen movie of the same name, Bullitt Belfast is a vibrant new concept that will provide a cool new space for people to Work, Play and Stay in the heart of the city. It will feature 43 stylish bedrooms, three bars (including Baltic, NI’s first ski-themed bar), a courtyard garden, 68-seater restaurant ‘Taylor and Clay’, an Espresso bar and a versatile private events space.

Blurring the lines between work and play, this urban playground will be the perfect hangout spot, with a relaxed atmosphere and laid back sophisticated vibe.

Accommodation comes in three options with double rooms and twin rooms, ranging from compact to spacious, and apartment accommodation planned for the second phase of the development.

In addition to the positive economic impact of the new hotel, which will create 100 new jobs when it opens, Bullitt will assist in fulfilling the demand for additional hotel bed space in Belfast.  The city ranked first for hotel occupancy rates, standing at 84%, in a market tracking index released in March this year (Colliers International UK Hotels Market Index).
Commenting on the announcement, Conall Wolsey, director, Beannchor said:

“Our vision for Bullitt is to create a new and exciting hospitality concept.  The hotel will offer so much more than just a bed for the night, it will also be a place where people can work, relax and socialise.

“It will be a space for meetings, coffee and lunch during the day and a place to meet and mingle over cocktails and food at night.  Also on offer will be an eclectic calendar of events for both locals and visitors to enjoy.

“Design, technology and efficiency are at the heart of all of our plans; the hotel will be equipped with super-fast Wi-Fi, the only Kees Van der Weston coffee machine in Ireland, super-fast check-ins for guests, NI’s first ski-themed bar and of course, stylish bedrooms.

“Bullitt will also provide a welcome boost to the NI jobs market.  We’re proud to be creating 100 new jobs that will offer employees a unique and exciting opportunity to work in an innovative setting and to become part of our business, which creates meaningful and rewarding long-term careers.”

For more information, visit bullitthotel.com, follow @bullittbelfast on Twitter or like Bullitt Belfast on Facebook.

**Programme now available!

Experience and enjoy some of the best art and craft Northern Ireland has to offer at the Creative Peninsula, a superb fun, friendly and creative series of events taking place in Ards and North Down from Friday 4 until Sunday 14 August.

Now in its 15th year, the Creative Peninsula, organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council, offers a range of free and bookable opportunities for people of all ages and levels of experience to see, learn about and even ‘try their hand’ at some of the many art and craft forms that are practiced in the local area.

Highlights of the 2016 programme include:

• Creative coach tours visiting the many art and craft studios that are often not open to the public.  Meet the Artists and Makers, watch then at work and of course treat yourself to a unique piece of artwork.

• Creative workshops for adults and young people, which offer the opportunity to learn and develop painting, drawing and craft work skills with teaching from a range of local experts. Including the immensely popular creative café series where you and a friend can combine a coffee, cake and catch up with the fun challenge of making some jewellery or ceramic items for the home.

• Outdoor experiences such as wood carving in the Bangor Castle Walled Garden, where you can see artists at work and learn how they take inspiration from the beautiful surroundings of the local area.

• Creative development workshops, aimed at professional and semi-professional Visual Artists and Makers will explore how to achieve the very best opportunities for your creative business. From building a selling platform to having the best images for your work.

The 10 days of creativity starts with ‘Craft in the Square’ at Conway Square in Newtownards on Friday 5 August.  For one day only the space will be transformed into a creative hub with more than 35 artists and makers displaying and selling their work and talking about what inspires them.  Free demonstrations including silver jewellery design, watercolour painting, linocutting and woodturning will run throughout the day.

Welcoming the return of the popular annual event, Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alderman Deborah Girvan, said:

““With one of the largest concentrations of Artists and Craftspeople living and working in Northern Ireland, Ards and North Down is home to a thriving creative industry.  The Creative Peninsula gives visitors the unique opportunity to see some of the very best of local arts and crafts, and to meet and engage with the makers behind the pieces.”

“Whether you just want to observe and soak up the atmosphere, or you prefer to try your hand at making, this year’s programme offers something for everyone.  I hope to welcome many visitors to our Craft in the Square event, on our coach tours and at our creative workshops.”

The 2016 Creative Peninsula brochure is available to download at visitardsandnorthdown.com//creative-peninsula.  Tickets for bookable events are also available from this website.

You can pick up a programme or find out more information on all the events on offer from Ards Arts Centre, Ards Crafts and North Down Museum, at any of the local visitor information centres (Ards, Bangor, Groomsport and Portaferry) or by contacting the Council directly on 0300 013 3333.

This Sunday, August 7 the Ards and North Down Music In The Park programme will take on a more traditional air with lively jigs & reels from Bangor-based trad group Inverberg.

Following on from the huge success of the first ever Ulster Fleadh in Bangor, the band stand will provide the perfect setting for a showcase of some of the finest up-and-coming traditional musicians from the local area.

Bring a rug and a picnic and enjoy a lively afternoon of traditional folk songs and tunes.

This is a free event and runs from 3pm to 5pm.

Please note that Ward Park is an alcohol-free zone. All events are weather dependent and therefore subject to change. This year’s music programme is being provided by Open House Festival.

Keep an eye out in local press each week for details on each artist or for more information phone Bangor Visitor Information Centre on 028 9127 0069 or visit:

www.visitardsandnorthdown.com

SSE ARENA, BELFAST: WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER

3ARENA, DUBLIN: THURSDAY 10 NOVEMBER

Bastille have announced their much anticipated live return with their biggest headline shows to date at the SSE Arena, Belfast on November 9^th and 3Arena, Dublin on November 10^th.

Tickets now on sale from:

The SSE Arena, Belfast Box Office: Tel. 02890 739074
Book on Line: www.ssearenabelfast.com

Ticketmaster: In person: From 100 Ticketmaster Outlets Nationwide
By Telephone (24 Hour):   0844 277 44 55 (ROL: 0818 719300)
Book On Line: www.ticketmaster.ie

At first glance the striking artwork for Bastille’s second album, ‘Wild World’, may prompt a number of questions. Who are the two individuals balanced precariously above a cityscape? Why are they there? What will happen next? But Dan Smith’s own interpretation of the image is one that runs through many of the songs on Wild World, “To me, the image isn’t about what’s just happened or what happens next,” he begins. “It’s not about how they got there or how they get down. It’s about showing a moment — two friends existing in that split second in that exact space, two people framed in the vast context of this huge mad metropolis that we’ve all built. They’re there out of choice.”

It’s just five years since South Londoner, Dan, started Bastille alone in his bedroom, releasing 300 copies of Bastille’s debut single. Relentless gigging, genuine word of mouth and some smartly curated mixtapes meant that within three years, Bastille became a global phenomenon; the band’s chart-conquering debut album ‘Bad Blood’ selling over 4m albums alongside 11m singles. In the UK, the twice Number One album was certified double-platinum and named the biggest-selling digital album of 2013. Hit singles ‘Pompeii’, ‘Flaws’, ‘Laura Palmer’ and ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ helped Bastille become that year’s biggest-selling global breakthrough act, with over a billion Spotify streams and in turn earning the band British Breakthrough at the following year’s Brits, along with two Grammy nominations. They have also collaborated with acts like Haim, Kate Tempest and Angel Haze, and Dan co-founded and co-runs an indie label, Best Laid Plans, helping to develop acts like Rag ’N’ Bone Man and Rationale.

And that, it turns out, was only the beginning. Bastille’s second album ‘Wild World’ retains the vivid, rich, filmic song-writing of its predecessor but pushes the band’s distinctive sound in exciting new directions. Lyrically, too, it’s a leap forward. “If our first album was about growing up and freaking out about it” Dan explains, “Our second is about trying to make sense of the world around you, both as you see it and as it’s presented to you through the media. It’s also about asking questions of the world and of the people in it. We wanted the album to be a bit disorientating – at times extroverted and introverted, light and dark.”

A sense of escapism runs through ‘Wild World’, but at the heart of it all is a fascination with the human condition, and the relationships we all forge, fight over and sometimes forget. “The world can seem fucked up,” Dan concludes. “But people — well, people can be amazing. The relationships you choose to have in your life are the main solace. They’re the things that make life awesome.”

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Top tips from the BFG – Big Ferry Giant – as Kids Go Free by sea

Families up and down the country are excitedly anticipating their summer break but it’s not just the destination that makes a holiday with the family so special, getting there can be real fun too.  If your time away involves a journey by car then here are some ideas that will turn a trip on four wheels into a dream journey.  And if you’ve not booked yet then taking your car across the Irish Sea makes financial sense too, as right now, for a limited time, Kids Go Free on all of Stena Line’s sailings to Britain.

Firstly, there are certain things the kids, or ‘the experts’, don’t want during their car journey.  They don’t want Mum and Dad’s music on replay or a snack of Ryvita with cucumber and humus to stave off the hunger.  They want to become intrepid explorers like Dora and Indiana Jones by turning the car journey into an action packed adventure.  They want to impress with their selfie skills, all round knowledge, win some prizes and maybe even go Pokemon hunting.

Not to be mixed up with Roald Dahl’s creation, the BFG in this instance is the Big Ferry Giant, Stena Line, who understands the importance of enjoying the journey as a key part of the holiday and although they already have children’s entertainers during the summer, dedicated games rooms and play areas as well as free Wi-Fi, free movies and great eateries to make your ferry trip a dream, they are also keen to make travel to their ports as pleasurable as possible.

So after getting the low-down from the kids, Stena Line has come up with these top tips to turn up the holiday fun factor:

• Hooray for Hollywood … bring a portable DVD player for the kids and let Hollywood work its magic while you peacefully chew up the miles.  And the movie marathon doesn’t stop there as there are free movies onboard all of Stena Line’s vessels
• Name that tune … play the kids a few seconds of a song and see if they can guess it!  They get a little bit more of the song each time until they get it right.
• Hey Mr DJ … bring headphones for any devices the children may have so they can enjoy their movie or music without any annoyance – then everyone is happy.
• YumYum … pre-pack a few pots of different, non-messy foods to keep the kids happy in the back seats but not too many liquids!  Small packets of fruit or even healthy snack bars are perfect for this and screw top sippy cups are great for young ones and juice boxes for older children.  Promise them a treat when you stop for a comfort break to stretch your legs but only if they behave!
• Eye, eye captain … kids and big kids love to play eye spy but mix it up a bit by asking them to spot animals or different coloured cars.  And don’t forget to let the kids win!
• Chit chat … get everyone to turn off their games, put down their books and have a discussion that could last for hours about a variety of subjects including your last holiday, history and favourite movies.  Not only will it while away the time but you will learn a lot about how your child feels and thinks.

Orla Noonan, Head of Travel, Irish Sea, Stena Line, said: “Adults, we know you’ve done your bit to prepare for your holiday with the kids so, if you are travelling by ferry, it’s time to let us do ours!  Not only do Kids Go Free all year with Stena Line but there is so much going on onboard that you get a break from being the entertainer.”

Orla added: “Our teams of dedicated children’s entertainers will make sure that there is enough singing, dancing and games to play to satisfy even the most energetic of children, giving you a bit of relaxation time before resuming your journey.  In fact, there is so much for the kids to do that they won’t want to leave!”

Get online and get booking now as this incredible Kids Go Free offer won’t last forever.  Book by clicking on www.stenaline.co.uk/kids

* Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.  See online for further details.

Dementia NI invite people who live with a diagnosis of dementia, to join their local empowerment group.

Group members support each other through friendship and understanding, particularly after a recent diagnosis of dementia.

Members help influence how people can live well after a diagnosis, and raise awareness by telling others what life is like to live with dementia. By engaging with various organisations throughout Northern Ireland, we inform them of how to make their services, policies and practice more suitable for people like us living with dementia.

The Dementia NI groups which run throughout Northern Ireland, give people living with dementia the opportunity to have a voice, and remain active and part of their community.

For more information on your local group visit our website at www.dementiani.org, call us on: 02890 686768 or email: info@dementiani.org