Month: April 2022

Northern Ireland specialist recruitment company, Tyson Wilson Recruitment is the first recruitment agency to be awarded a gold level innovator award from Innovate NI, on behalf of the Department for the Economy.

The government backed scheme helps businesses across Northern Ireland bring their ideas to the market to help drive innovation in their industry by recognising each business who applies as either silver, gold or platinum standard.

Tyson Wilson’s 2022 award comes off the back of their success two years ago when they won the silver standard for innovation as they embarked on a journey to become the first paperless recruitment agency in Belfast in 2020.

CEO and founder, Michelle Tyson believes this is a step in the right direction for other recruitment agencies to take inspiration from.

“Over the last year, we commercially launched our 2020 silver innovation idea of implementing app and video interviewing technology into the business. After testing it out, we recognised its success and applied for the Innovate NI awards again and were awarded the gold standard.

“Becoming paperless brings so many benefits to the recruitment process from both the candidates and recruiter point of view. For example, a candidate coming for a role with Tyson Wilson has a quicker journey as they receive applications faster which in turn speeds up the recruitment process. 

“Investing in paperless technology also helps reduce harmful co2 emissions and helps us do our bit for the environment too” she said.

For those seeking employment, registering on the Tyson Wilson website has never been easier thanks to their new style which involves all interviews being conducted by telephone or video technology and if you’re a temporary worker then accessing payroll is done via an app.

Michelle says this virtual process is a result of how the pandemic has streamlined traditional processes and shaped how businesses recruit staff.

“The industry is changing, especially now that a lot of recruitment consultants are working remotely. So, you have to put these adaptations into place to be able to do that and it saves us a lot of time.”

If you’re a business looking for new staff, visit tysonwilsonrecruitment.co.uk/jobs to gain access to a wide range of candidates.
For more information on what Tyson Wilson can do for your business contact Michelle at info@tysonwilsonrecruitment.co.uk

Milliken Tours Ireland have taken the tour market to new heights with their bespoke experiences that take visitors to well known attractions, alongside lesser known sites and scenery. 

Husband and wife team, Seamus and Bridie Milliken, are both qualified tour guides, and as locals they have an intimate, deep knowledge of The Causeway Coastal Route and The Antrim Glens area having lived in the area all their life.

“We were volunteer walk leaders with Glenarm Tourism’s walking group for 20 years and it was always something my husband wanted to pursue full time.” explained Bridie. “We did a level two tour guiding course and established the business in 2016. We both enjoy what we do – showcasing this beautiful part of the world to visitors from further afield.”

With their own vehicle they can escort up to six people, but can also offer a hire service minibus for up to 16 but always with the customer’s needs and wishes in mind.

“When somebody books us, we won’t take anyone else – it’s their own private tour,” explained Seamus. “First thing I always say is ‘it’s your day’ – you tell me when you want to stop or if there’s anything you really want to see or do – then I do my best to make it happen.”

As well as visitors from across the island their reach goes much further.

“A lot of people from North America have connections, especially here in County Antrim,” said Seamus “I’ve had people from the east coast of America – whose ancestors’ families left east Antrim way back in the 1700s and they are now coming back to trace where their family came from. 

“They’re really wanting to discover their family’s story here as well as the tourist sights. A lot of people are definitely interested in their Irish and their Ulster-Scots roots.”

Milliken Tours Ireland can also accommodate lone walkers and groups on private guided walking tours.

“We have a great relationship with landowners and farmers with permission to walk on their land in The Antrim Glens, which isn’t normally accessible to the public so we can offer our guests special walks,” said Bridie.

“This adds to the current Ulster Way and Antrim Hills walks available for hikers. And we also follow ‘Leave no Trace’ principles”.

Seamus is a qualified Mountain leader and so is skilled to deal with all emergencies and is also first aid trained.

 “We’re proud of where we live and really want to show off the places and things that make it special,” said Bridie. We get so much out of what we do, and we love explaining what life here is really like, covering both the past and present. Seamus is very interested in history and geography and he would have been soaking up knowledge even before we started the tours. You will always find him reading books about the area.”

As the business name suggests, Seamus can pick up guests from across Ireland, whether it is from airports or hotels to make sure that customers get the most out of their experience. Milliken Tours Ireland can also whisk guests away for a few days across the island, whether it’s coasting along the Wild Atlantic Way, or tailoring the route to feel a deeper connection with their Irish heritage.

And, of course as a local he knows the best places to stop for something to eat, a coffee, or maybe even a pint of the black stuff.

Milliken Tours Ireland also carries out a calendar of monthly community guided walks on the third Sunday of each month, organised in association with Glenarm Tourism to various locations from coast to surrounding hills, of different length and duration. Monthly walks are always publicised on Facebook, or locals can pick up the annual leaflet with all guided walks advertised.

Find out more at millikentoursireland.com.

Following the smash hit success ‘Menopause The Musical’, audiences in Armagh can look forward to a new adventure as ‘Menopause The Musical 2 – Cruising Through Menopause’ sails into The Market Place Theatre, Armagh on Tuesday 24 May, starring Crissy Rock [Benidorm | I’m a Celebrity | Celebrity MasterChef], Rebecca Wheatley [Casualty], Nicki French [Eurovision] and Susie Fenwick [West End Star].

The original Menopause the Musical®, was a gigantic smash hit, packing audiences in theatres across Ireland. Now in the hysterical sequel to Menopause The Musical®, we fast forward five years to catch up with the same four ladies and tales of their lives, loves and losses as they set off on the high seas.

Hot flushes, mood swings, memory lapses, weight gain – these are a few of our favourite menopausal things! Cruising Through Menopause is a hilarious, heartfelt, reassuring and unflinching look at the joys of menopause and friendship. When your life is a bumpy ride full of twists and turns, it’s hard to find true friends. But step on board and we’ll take you on a trip of self-discovery, love and friendship all backed by a soundtrack of brand-new toe-tapping parodied hits!

For these four ladies the menopause was not the beginning of the end, but the beginning of a beautiful friendship where love conquers, and friendships never fail.  So, all aboard and we’ll have you laughing, singing and feeling like you’ve just met 1000 new best friends, as you join us for ‘Menopause The Musical 2 – Cruising Through Menopause’. Recommended for age 16+.

Tickets can be booked online at www.visitarmagh.com/marketplacetheatre, or through the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821.

And to keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Market Place Theatre, you can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) where you will find all the latest information, special offers and video previews.

It was a pack of cards and an encounter with a famous comedian and magician that turned the young Steve Wilson from curious teenager into budding child magician. Little did he know then that these experiences would lead to a 25 year relationship with Circusful, formerly Belfast Community Circus School. 

“My fondest memory was meeting Tommy Cooper at a magic convention in London. I was a wee nipper of 13 and he was a giant.”

“I bought some cards in Hamleys toy store in London in the 70s and this pack of cards got me into magic,” he explained.

After establishing his career as a professional magician, performing at the likes of the Royal Silver Jubilee Celebrations in London and at children’s parties, Steve moved to Ireland permanently in 2000.

His connections with the Belfast Circus School via fellow Circusful performer, Bucky The Clown, led to Steve creating the building blocks of his original character, “Wonderful World of Mr Wizzy”.

“I wasn’t very academically good so I was always going to be a performer. I did workshops, and some shadowing for the first month to get up to a certain skill level”

“It’s all Bucky’s fault but I’ve never looked back.”

Originally, Mr Wizzy performed as a double act around Ireland showcasing highly visual and entertaining mobile performances.

During his early career, Steve took part in the Special Olympics ceremony held in Dublin where he brushed shoulders with U2, The Corrs and Bon Jovi.

“Back in the day we did the Special Olympics at Croke Park. We were there for three days and Nelson Mandela was there but hadn’t arrived yet so someone was invited to get up on stage to be him for the camera angles. So I went up.

“We did a big finish for 30K people in 7 minutes.” he explained.

When he isn’t performing, Steve enjoys his role as a Circusful trainer where he teaches workshops to enthusiastic participants who have the opportunity to learn new skills, gain confidence, build resilience and make long lasting friendships. 

“We’ve got them all wired. It helps to build their self-esteem for school or a whole range of things. Circus breaks down all the barriers. It’s not like rugby at school where if you don’t fit in, you’ll be singled out. It’s not competitive at all”.

Over the years, Mr Wizzy has led classes for disabled people and people who are recovering from strokes, he finds this work the most fulfilling. 

“One of the things we have been doing over the years are workshops with disabled people which I love with a passion, I must say. When we come back from the workshops, we can’t believe that we’ve had the privilege to work in this way – it’s very rewarding.”

Steve worked with a woman who had had a stroke a few years ago. “This lady was blind and I used juggling balls with her and she held a juggling ball and burst into tears as her carers had all told her she couldn’t feel anything in her hand.”

Although his colourful career has meant he’s travelled far and wide and performed to a variety of people, Steve believes that Belfast is the perfect place to do what he loves.

“My favourite place to perform is undoubtedly Belfast because we know everybody from the school, so we don’t have to try too hard to get an audience.

“We already know the people in the audience and with the Festival of Fools, we have theatre on our doorsteps here – it’s brilliant.” he said.

Steve continues to move forward with the tight knit Circusful family to connect, empower and inspire the people of Northern Ireland and beyond through high-quality circus tuition and performance.

“It’s a family. It’s the circus family.”To find out how you can get involved with Circusful, visit https://circusful.org

The Ards International Guitar Festival rocks into Newtownards this weekend and promises to showcase a wealth of local and international guitar talent. With a fantastic programme featuring guitarists from every genre, there really is something to suit every musical taste at Ards and North Down Borough Council’s much-loved festival which runs from 7 – 10 April.

One of the highlights of this year’s programme is Jon Gomm, the Leeds- based guitarist and singer-songwriter with a revolutionary virtuoso guitar style. Jon will be taking to the stage in the Queen’s Hall, Newtownards on Saturday 9 April, supported by Carlow-born virtuoso Shane Hennessy. A night of live music not to be missed!

Blue’s fans will love the Mike Wilgar Blues Band who are performing in The Ivy Bar, Newtownards on Friday 8 April. Mike first picked up the harmonica at the age of nine and has been blasting out tunes for four decades since! Well known on both the local and international scene, Mike and his band have received great praise from blues critics and fans alike. The band’s 2006 album Swimming with Sharks remains a regular on the playlist for blues and roots radio DJs across the world.

On Thursday, 7 April the festival’s Film Screening will take place in The Ivy Bar, showing ‘Guy Clark – Without Getting Killed or Caught.’ This celebration of the life of American Folk and Country Legend Guy Clarke will include the film by Tamara Saviano which explores the intimate triangle of the subject his wife Susanna, and Townes Van Zandt and will be followed by a live set from two of Ireland’s foremost aficionados of Guy’s work – Barry Johnston (acoustic guitar) and David Neill (acoustic bass), from the band Illegal Smile.

For those who fancy honing their guitar skills by learning from the experts, the festival’s Guitar Clinics are the perfect opportunity! The Clinics hosted by Paddy Anderson, Shane Hennessy, Jon Gomm, Ronnie Greer and Anthony Toner will guide you through various styles of playing. The Clinics will take place in Ards Arts Centre on various dates. Pre-booking is essential.

Commenting on the Festival, Emily Crawford, Festival Director said: “After a 2-year hiatuswe are delighted to welcome audiences back, many shows have already sold out but there are still tickets available for some festival favourites including our annual brunch with Ralph McLean. We are anticipating a great festival of live guitar music this year and we’d love to see you there.”

Ards International Guitar Festival is a must for music fans everywhere. For ticket details or to view the full programme please visit the website www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk  or alternatively call Ards Arts Centre on 028 9181 0803

The self-proclaimed Jack of all trades, Hillas Smith aka Mr H, is a popular circus and street performer for Circusful, formerly known as Belfast Community Circus School. As well as performing, Hillas plays an active role in leading outreach programmes that engage young people across the country. 

Joining the Circus wasn’t the obvious career path for Hillas. As a young boy he engaged in traditional sports like rugby until he had a chance encounter with someone at university who sparked his interest in all things circus and performing.

“At university, I met someone who taught me to juggle and then taught me to stilt walk. It all snowballed from there.” 

From here Hillas started performing in acrobatic shows which he took to ‘like a fish to water’. 

Following a brief stint in Europe, where Hillas joined forces with two Erasmus students from Germany, he returned to Ireland where he regularly juggled on street corners in Galway.

Dubliner Hillas, 49, believes there is a ‘special kind of character’ that likes to perform in the street. 

“I love the random nature of it. It can be something as small as what somebody says in reaction to what you’ve done, which just fires your imagination and takes you to a new place.” he said. 

As the arts and culture scene took off in Belfast in the early 2000’s, Hillas decided to leave his much-loved home in Copenhagen to ‘catch the wave’ of the upcoming Northern Irish scene.

“I came to Belfast to visit a friend in 2001 and fell into work very quickly after having a dry patch in Copenhagen.”

“I was very tied into the air of positivity in Belfast. There was a real feeling of change, like something had shifted from the late 90s as the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival had begun and Festival of the Fools was taking shape.

“I actually deferred my return to Copenhagen a couple of times and then decided to relocate to Belfast, which took everyone in Copenhagen by surprise as they knew I had started to feel at home there.” he explained.

Hillas combines his various juggling disciplines with acrobatic skills, as well as dramatic fire performances under his clown character ‘Mr H’.

“The clown character was something that developed slowly as I got to know my own abilities, and I was heavily influenced by silent movie stars like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Laurel and Hardy.

“There’s a kind of timelessness to it.” he said.

Watching the audience’s faces light up inspires Hilas to keep performing centre stage. 

“By doing the physical comedy you give the audience permission to laugh at another human being’s carelessness, stupidity, clumsiness, mishaps.

“It’s a really joyous thing to get a group of people to laugh together. There’s a gorgeous sense of community.”

When he’s not being laughed at, Hillas teaches circus skills to adults and families as well as children and young people, a role which he finds immensely rewarding.

“The ethos in the circus world is meeting people where they are, whatever age. My job as a trainer is to see what type of skill that person will enjoy, how they learn, and how I can help them to get the most out of what they’re doing. 

“Our teaching method is very much an open conversation and we don’t have a fixed endpoint as we believe the process of learning is far more important,” he explained.

Alongside this, he is an integral part of the Circusful’s outreach programmes in communities all over Northern Ireland.

These projects include the Prison Arts Foundation where Hillas worked with inmates of Hydebank Young Offenders’ Centre. 

“We brought a group of untrusting, suspicious young men on a journey of self-exploration and self-expression where they learned to trust us, the circus tutors, as well as each other, and to gain in confidence sufficiently to get up in front of their peers and perform slapstick and comedy in an environment where being laughed at is a big cultural taboo.”

Hillas believes the social circus mission is the most important element of Circusful’s work within the community,

 “We provide an environment where children and young people are free to be themselves, without judgement, and can learn through the process of ‘try, fail and grow’ in a supportive atmosphere where everyone’s successes are celebrated.”

To find out how you can get involved with Circusful, go to circusful.org

‘Carved at the Castle’ offers a variety of unique traditional craft courses, giving you the chance to learn how to create something distinctive in limestone that is 74 million years old.

Run by The Rock Stone Masonry in the picturesque Glenarm Castle estate, ‘Carved at the Castle’ have a variety of courses for people wanting to learn a new skill and leave with a love for this heritage craft.

Nathan Morrow, founder of The Rock Stone Masonry explained that beginners will get to hand carve a v-cut letter in local ancient limestone.

“If you are feeling eager you can carve your own house number and proudly display it at your front door,” he said. “This is a great hands-on insight for those with an interest in traditional skills or to develop skills further in a controlled environment.

“Participants are taught by fully qualified stonemasons.”

“Every step of the process is included from correctly stencilling to learning how to use the tools and carving out the letters. You are guaranteed to have fun and leave having learnt a new skill and love for this special heritage craft.”

From learning the principles, through to the process of making a rough-cut, participants then pick a piece of stone, already selected for size and work, to carve letters or numbers. These pieces of stone are local to Glenarm, having been quarried there since the late 18th Century.

Experienced tutors will then guide participants through the various processes involved in a hands-on, small ground setting.

Those taking part vary from those wanting to learn a new craft skill through those with some experience, but it is pitched at a level for everyone.

On the beginners course, Nathan explains that participants will learn the precise nature of ‘V-cut’ lettering.

“To give you an example of how precise it is, it is like working with a sharp pencil,” he said. “Once you make a pencil sharp with a long lead you can press too hard and break the lead, but you don’t want to carve without understanding how to apply pressure to a pencil line itself.

“The chisel has to split that pencil line. The precision of cutting a letter is halving a pencil line.

“Participants initially don’t think too much about it but when they start into it, they realise you’re actually taking the stone down to halve a pencil line.”

Alongside the beginners course there are additional opportunities at a beginner level to branch further including lime pointing, random rubble building and drystone walling whilst practicing maintenance and repairs throughout the Glenarm Estate, alongside Nathan and his team of stonemasons. More advanced courses delve further into high/low relief carving and three-dimensional sculptures.

The courses are held at Glenarm Castle Estate and run on alternative Saturdays, from 9am to 3pm, with up to 14 participants, with a low level bench for accessibility.

We intend to release further weekday dates and increase to every weekend. Further dates will be added as required. Private group bookings and tailored classes/demonstrations can be requested via email therockstonemasonry@gmail.com

Find out more at therockstonemasonry.co.uk