The River to Lough Festival is back promising a festival of fun this August bank holiday weekend in Toome with the chance to taste the world renowned Lough Neagh eel.

The Eel Fishery opens its doors to the public for the second year on Saturday 29 August to showcase the Lough Neagh eel fishing industry.  The inaugural River to Lough Festival last year drew thousands from across the area and beyond to taste the world famous delicacy and this year’s flagship festival event will see fishermen tell stories of the history and heritage on the lough while festivalgoers sample Lough Neagh eel.

Northern Ireland born award winning food writer and television presenter James McIntosh will be hosting cookery demonstrations and there will be an opportunity to browse the eel exhibition, take a tour of the factory and shop at the artisan food and craft stalls.  Traditional boat displays will feature and live music will provide background music throughout the day!

James will be joined to demonstrate eel cooking by BBC Radio Ulster’s Paula McIntyre, David Gilmore of James Street South and Eddie Attwell of Ard Tara.

New to the festival this year is the Taste & Dine pop-up restaurant, serving a traditional eel supper from 12 – 4pm.  Tickets can be purchased online with early bird rates available from August 5th at www.rivertolough.co.uk.  Booking in advance is strongly advised to avoid disappointment.

Eimear Kearney, Marketing Manager, Lough Neagh Partnership, said: “The River to Lough Festival promises heritage, culture, history, fun and most importantly, a chance to taste the world renowned Lough Neagh eel. We are confident based on last year’s event that this will truly offer something for all the family to enjoy.”

River to Lough Festival on Saturday 29 August has been made possible by Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative, Lough Neagh Partnership, Mid Ulster District Council, Tourism NI and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s NI Regional Food Programme.

More details can be found at www.rivertolough.co.uk and you can follow Lough Neagh on facebook at www.facebook.com/loughneaghanditswaterways, call Lough Neagh Partnership on tel 028 7941 7941 or email at info@discoverloughneagh.com.

A team of 30 determined and dauntless women will take on a unique 30-day charity fitness challenge this autumn. Could you be one of them?

Cancer Fund for Children, the leading NI charity for children and young people living with cancer is calling on women aged 18 and over to sign up to pretty TOUGH. It will take place in the greater Belfast area and will involve indoor and outdoor activities catering to all fitness levels which will run from September 21st to October 20th, 2015.

Led by Bangor-based Tribal Fitness, the challenge is just the excuse to get outdoors, get fit and have some fun. Locations include Ashfield School in Belfast, the Ozone at Ormeau Park and Seapark in Holywood. Activities include circuits, bootcamp drills, team games and relays as well as relaxation.

At the same time participants will be raising vital funds for Cancer Fund for Children, a charity dedicated to ensuring families don’t have to face cancer alone through its unique offer of practical, emotional and financial support services as well as free therapeutic short breaks to families across the island of Ireland.

Cancer Fund for Children service user and NI 4 Kids magazine’s Mum of the Year -Tracey McGeehan is getting behind the pretty TOUGH recruitment campaign. She organised similar events in her home county of Tyrone recently which raised over £40k. She decided to support the charity’s work after receiving help when her little girl Cassie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 aged just 18 months.

Tracey said: “Events like pretty TOUGH are a perfect way of getting out there and getting fit. This challenge will also raise funds for a charity that really helped my family through such a difficult time by offering us a free short break at its therapeutic facility Daisy Lodge in Newcastle which allowed us to escape the pressures of hospital visits and treatment.”

Cancer Fund for Children’s CEO Gillian Creevy said: “By taking part in pretty TOUGH your support will be helping families affected by cancer get through the “toughest time of their lives”. Every week in Northern Ireland another three children, teenagers and young adults are diagnosed with cancer. We rely on donations and goodwill from the public. Funds raised will enable our team of experienced specialists to help even more families cope with the impact cancer has on their lives supporting them during and after treatment and sadly in some cases, bereavement.”

The registration fee for pretty TOUGH is £70. Minimum sponsorship is £300. A full timetable will be provided upon registration. For more information or to register log on to cancerfundforchildren.com, call 028 9080 5599 or email alex@cancerfundforchildren.com.

Packed schedule of events in the hospitality marquee

THE Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week is home to a full schedule of unmissable events every evening.

On Monday 3^rd August, a cavalcade of classic cars and motorcycles will leave Lagan Valley LeisurePlex to take part in a parade lap of the Dundrod Circuit, followed by a quiz in aid of the Injured Riders Welfare Fund at 8.30pm in the marquee.

On Tuesday 4^th August, all are welcome to attend a ‘Night of Nostalgia’, which will include the launch of a book by Roy Harris entitled ‘Just For the Thrill Of It’. The new book captures the high and low points of racing, motocross and trials through the 70s.

On Wednesday 5^th August from 9pm the marquee will host a fantastic Night at the Races. This will be followed by a Young Guns event where fans can meet the future stars of road racing and take part in a Q&A session, plus live music from The Good Times.

Thursday evening will see magician Rodd Hogg entertain the crowds, before the Miss UGP hopefuls take to the stage to see who will be crowned the winner of the 2015 contest. Live music from Stevie Johns will follow.

On Friday 7^th August at 11am all are welcome to a meet the riders event at Topaz Airport Road Service Station, before a broadcast from BBC Radio Ulster’s Hugo Duncan at 1pm live from the paddock.

At 5pm on Friday, everyone is invited to the paddock walkabout when riders will have their awnings up, ready to meet and greet fans. At 7pm there will be a trials bike display followed by the infamous Purple Helmets stunt show at Nutt’s Corner Stock Car Track.

At 8pm on Friday evening, the UGP Supporters Club Chat Show will take place, with live entertainment afterwards from RJ Rocks.

To conclude the week of entertainment, everyone is invited to the Chequered Flag wrap up party on Saturday night from 8pm, with live music from High Times.

Noel Johnston, Clerk of the Course at the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix said: “We’ve really worked to improve the schedule of bike week events and we hope as many people as possible will support our efforts and make the most of the entertainment on offer.

“It’ll be great craic – and what better place to spend your week than the paddock at the world’s fastest road race, the atmosphere will be electric!”

Entry to the events on Wednesday and Thursday night will be £5 and tickets can be bought on the door or from the Race Office.

For more information and a full programme of Bike Week events visit www.ulstergrandprix.net or you can also follow @UlsterGrandPrix on Twitter and find us on Facebook.

W5 is offering fantastic group rates to crèches, after-school clubs and summer schemes during August.

Explore over 250 interactive exhibits including the ALL NEW technological marvel that is ‘RoboThespian’, our BIGGEST EVER exhibit ‘Climbit’, ‘Discovery’ a special exhibition area for the under eights and watch science demonstration shows throughout the day!

Groups can also choose to enhance their visit with one of our brilliant summer workshops! Groups can choose from the following;

Fish ’N Ships – under 8s
Ahoy there salty sea urchins, join us as we celebrate tall ships, tiny boats and all things fishy and fun in our latest super summer workshop.  Discover sea creatures above and below the waves then test your skills by catching a crusty crustacean, a shifty shark or even an eight-legged friend!

Tall Ship Champion of Champions – over 8s
Is your sail in ship shape? To celebrate the Tall Ships Races 2015 come along to design, build and test your very own tall ship. Will it survive the choppy waters of W5?  Can you cross the channel to the finish line first and become W5’s 2015 Tall Ships champion?

Rogue Robots: A Lasertag Activity – strictly over 8s
It is 2115 and for many years The Space Council has been sending research robots into deep space on planetary exploration missions. But our scientists now believe that a form of alien intelligence has taken control of our robots. The Space Council has declared that we need to send specially trained RoboSquads to deactivate, recover and reprogramme these rogue robots. Using phasers you will be challenged to deactivate robot targets as you make your way through two target range sets. Have you got what it takes to be a member of RoboSquad and will your squad deactivate the most robots in the time available to be crowned RoboSquad Champions?

Cost

General Admission: 10am-2pm – £3 | After 2pm – £4
Workshops: + £1.50
Adults free per 1:10 supervision ratio (additional adults £7)

All summer workshops are 30 minutes. For more information or to make a booking please contact our booking team on 028 90467790/7793 or visit our website www.w5online.co.uk/education

The Curious Wedding Fair, sponsored by SS Nomadic is Belfast’s newest and most unique wedding fair!

The Curious Wedding Fair will be showcasing an eclectic range of unique and unusual wedding suppliers with a few of the more traditional elements thrown in!

Taking place on the fabulously restored SS Nomadic on Sunday 6^th September from 1pm till 5pm, admission is free and the first 50 onboard will receive a free goody bag. The fair is spread over the 3 decks of SS Nomadic and guests will encounter everything from dresses and cakes to inflatable photo booths and human tables! The Curious Live Lounge will take place under an impressive stretch tent on the bridge deck all afternoon, with the final of the Win Some Wedding Sparkle Competition and The Curious Catwalk taking place at 3pm.

The Curious Wedding Fair is hosted by Sparkle Wedding Magazine. Sparkle Wedding Magazine was launched in December 2014 as a white wedding alternative magazine for Northern Ireland. At present Sparkle is the only white wedding alternative magazine based within Northern Ireland. The magazine has now published 3 issues and is available to purchase from newsagents across Northern Ireland.

Sparkle Weddings – “Pushing the boundaries of the Traditional White Wedding.”

‘TrustFord, Guy Martin and Clubs for Young People to host Soap Box Derby for children and youth groups across Northern Ireland at the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival.

TrustFord has announced that the deadline to submit entries for this year’s TrustFord Soap Box Derby has been extended to Friday 14^th August.TrustFord, the world’s largest dedicated Ford dealership group, has teamed up with Guy Martin for its exciting new partnership with youth charity Clubs for Young People (CYP), to host the inaugural Soap Box Derby taking place on Saturday 5^th September, 2015 at the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival.

TrustFord is looking for thrill seekers of all ages who would like to design and race their own soap box go-kart for the event, with a host of exciting prizes on offer. The partnership and the tournament are being supported by world-class road racer Guy Martin who is also the holder of the Guinness World Record for the fastest soap box of all time at 85mph. Guy, along with CYP, is committed to encouraging young people to participate in fun, active and educational activities.

Commenting on the event, Guy Martin, world-class road racer said: “I am really excited to be a part of the TrustFord Soap Box Derby at this year’s Oyster Festival in Hillsborough, it should be mega. When I was a kid I was right into building stuff and tuning engines, I’d even sit on my Dad’s work bench in a nappy and watch him. I’m looking forward to seeing what some of these youngsters can come up with.”

Those looking to try their hand in the fast lane can now register their interest right up to 14^th August at www.trustford.co.uk/soapboxderby. Open to all community groups, youth clubs and children accompanied by an adult, teams are required to design and build their own soapbox in order to compete in the nail-biting Soap Box Derby at the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival in September, where legendary racing and TV star, Guy Martin, will be a judge.

For those fourteen to seventeen year olds who fancy their chances behind the wheel, they can enter one of the fast-paced races that will be taking place throughout the day. However the event won’t just be about speed. As well as a Race Winner, there are four other awards up for grabs, open to all entrants aged between five and seventeen, including Best Innovation, Best Technical Design and Best Entertainment. The group that best embodies the spirit of the competition will not only lift the coveted Best Overall Team trophy, but will also win a 14-seater minibus for their club or school worth over £25,000. All other category winners will take home a £500 cash prize.

Ireland’s largest theatre school, which trains almost 400 young people from across Northern Ireland in the magical art of theatre, are creating another spectacular Summer Youth Project which promises to capture and enthral audiences lucky enough to get a ticket!

Belfast School of Performing Arts returns to the MAC with it’s Summer Youth Project this August,  the talented team will be hosting a two week intensive course culminating in 5 showings of the world’s greatest love story of all time – West Side Story.

With warring gangs, struggling to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice, West Side Story is arguably one of the most relevant musicals of our time. Director James Huish has a few tricks up his sleeve to bring to life the intense reality and heartache of the story;

“I will be creating a divide between the Sharks and the Jets in rehearsals, even during break times, I truly believe that as each actor totally immerses themselves in becoming their character that a greater standard of acting will be achieved and therefore a more spectacular show will be produced. These young people are incredibly talented and this is a form of acting that is used regularly in both the West End and on Broadway.”

At BSPA each production strives to bring those taking part the experience of being involved in a truly professional show. Many young people taking part will go on to a life on the stage and the professional team behind BSPA encourages them to be prepared for what lies ahead, those who don’t want a career in acting get just as much out of taking part and enjoying the experience of a lifetime!

This production of West Side Story is made possible with a cast of 60 young people, aged from just 14 years old. James goes on to say that the talent coming through the audition process has been exceptional;

“One of the reasons I founded BSPA was because of the huge number of talented young people in Northern Ireland who really didn’t have an outlet for their talent, each audition we do confirms my original belief – NI is full of talent! BSPA is constantly expanding into new areas and we now have classes running in Belfast, Ballymena and Lisburn –each school is growing rapidly and we are looking forward to taking BSPA to even more locations across NI and beyond. Our Summer Youth Project is always an opportunity for those not involved to try it out and to spend their summer holidays doing something incredibly rewarding! I’m proud of every one of them and can’t wait to see the finished show!”

West Side Story will be at the Mac from the 19^th – 22^nd August – tickets priced at just £18 are available from www.themaclive.com. For further information please visit www.thebspa.co.uk

This calendar week is definitely one of the busier in the short history of the BBSC, with all four teams being called into action and some on more than one occasion.

The Angels led things off against the Softball Ulster-leading Sliders, led by Northstar Will Mitchell. His side dominated from start to finish, squashing any momentum that the Halos could muster. 19-1 the final, Jay Slevin and Jonny Craven will view the game as a learning experience as they look to a lengthy layoff now, with almost a month to wait before they see another tough side, the Belfast rawlers.

On Wednesday evening the Northstars took up against the Hornets in a repeat of the previous Wednesday nights tilt. The result, unfortunately for Darwin Sanchez’ team, would go a similar way thanks to a standout performance by Colin Woods.

With Mark Smith and Melvin Woods resting their arms, the Hornets would send the big righthander to the mound and, after some control issues early, he would settle down and despite the Northstars playing excellent defence behind Will Mitchell, Woods himself would blow the game open in the third with a line drive home run over the left field fence.

That would inspire his Hornets to stretch out to a 7-0 lead and with another towering blast by Woods to the deepest part of the park, the writing was on the wall for the Stars.

With Kleiber Sanchez looking after the last few outs, the Hornets would walk away 10-0 victors on the evening.

The Hornets now put their feet up for a week before travelling to Cavan to take on the Comets.

The Northstars will get a chance to rebound immediately as they travel to Dublin’s Corcaigh Park to take on the Ashbourne Giants (1-9) as they are putting the finishing touches to their spectacular new facility.

Already leading 2-0 in the season series, Darwin Sanchez will be looking for his team to continue that good form against Ashbourne.

The first game was a tight knit affair with Sanchez himself leading his team to victory on the mound thanks to a complete game pitching performance (1 BB, 5 K) in a 3-0 shutout against Kevin Mitchell of the Giants whose stat line (3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K) would have been enough on any other day. Mitchell and Kleiber Sanchez would combine to provide the offensive spark driving in 3 RBI on the day.

Sanchez Jr. would then turn in possibly his best pitching performance to date. Showing excellent control for one so young, the righthander would strike out seven and walk only four, figures that even veteran arms within the organisation would be envious of.

Feeding off their starters momentum, Darwin Sanchez and speedy infielder David Mundarain would total nine RBI between them, knocking out Giants starter Alex Holloway (7 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 6 K) and getting to getting to reliever Liam Shier (8 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) as the margin would be much more comfortable for the Northstars, cruising to a 15-2 victory to get ahead in the series.

Nothing will be taken for granted this weekend however, as the Giants will no doubt be looking to make up ground on the Stars in the B league North.

After a long layoff, the Buccaneers (10-4) will be leaving the confines of Hydebank to make the journey south to take on the Cavan Comets.

The Cavan side (5-7) are already in a 3-0 hole against the Bucs before this weekend’s double header. The first game saw a comfortable 14-2 win for the Belfast side following a nine run outburst in the last inning. Jon Carter proved a force on the mound (6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) and in conjunction with shortstop Terry Rosbotham, fearsome at the dish as they would have four runs, seven hits and ten RBI between them.

The second game would be a much more balanced affair, the Buccaneers providing consistent output through their lineup catalysed by Christopher Barr (5 H, 3 RBI). This gave Carter enough run support to see the game closed out after six innings.

By comparison, the third game between the two sides would be a closer affair, 8-2 the final. The offence on this occasion was sparked by first baseman Chris Stange, centrefielder Ultan Magill and right fielder Billy Thompson (6 RBI combined) after the Bucs fell behind 2-1 in the first inning but, inspired by Sean Shackley’s quality outing (2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 K), the Belfast side would show consistent offensive output as the game progressed, adding runs in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings.

Coach Jose Santos will be looking for that same focus and determination against a Cavan side that can never be underestimated.

Be sure to check out the Facebook pages and twitter feeds for the teams of the Belfast Baseball and Softball Club – The Belfast Northstars(@NorthstarsBB) , The Belfast Buccaneers(@BelfastBucs), The Belfast Hornets (@BelfastHornets) and The Belfast Angels Softball Club (@Belfast_Angels).

www.belfastbaseball.co.uk

Michael Dunlop out to make amends for his mixed 2015 season with another stellar performance at Dundrod

MICHAEL Dunlop is confident he can end his season on a high and add to his tally of six wins at Dundrod circuit, as he looks forward to next week’s Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old, who sensationally switched from Shaun Muir’s factory Yamaha team back to Stuart Hicken’s BMW outfit just days before racing started at the TT, has had a below par season in comparison to his dominant 2013 and 2014 performances.

However the Ballymoney racer seems to have found his way back to form in recent weeks, with podiums at the Southern 100 and a win in the Race of Legends at Armoy, and looks set to be in the mix once again at Dundrod.

Michael said: “We had a good run at Armoy and hopefully we can carry that through to Dundrod. With a couple of weeks between it and the Ulster I’ll get some extra rest which will do me good.

“We’ll be ready, we just have to push on really and try to get a few wins. The superbike is a brand new motorbike so I’ll have to get the head down and put some miles on it, but we’ll get it dialled in.”

“We should go well in all of our classes and it’s a good circuit to ride. It’s a big fast track with plenty of 5^th and 6^thgear corners so we’re looking forward to getting out next week.”

Dunlop’s determination is good news for Noel Johnston, Clerk of the Course at the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix, who has watched two generations of Dunlops battle it out at Dundrod.

Noel said: “Michael is getting back to full fitness and top form, so it’s almost impossible to rule him out at Dundrod. He’s a proven winner around the circuit and when it’s his day there’s nobody faster.

“The fans love to see him at the front, he has such an aggressive style and it’s spectacular to watch. We can’t wait to have him out on track and on the pace, doing battle with Hutchy, Guy Martin and Bruce Anstey, to name but a few. We’re in for some great racing.”

For more information visit www.ulstergrandprix.net or you can also follow @UlsterGrandPrix on Twitter and find us on Facebook.

Golf fever swept across Northern Ireland earlier this year as the Irish Open descended on County Down. And it’s not over yet. The Irish Golf Expo is back in its second year as Ireland’s only dedicated golfing exhibition.

Taking place on November 28 and 29 at the new multi-million pound Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn, the expo is an interactive event with a packed schedule from demonstrations and free golf lessons to PGA professionals as well as an indoor driving range with custom fitting and club testing.

And with 430 clubs across Ireland and Northern Ireland with almost 200,000 registered members, it’s no surprise golf continues to be one of the most popular sporting activities in the country.

If you want to perfect your swing before the big event here’s 3 top tips from Northern Ireland’s favourite golfing stars:

1. Rory McIlroy “Hit irons with your left knee”

Speaking to www.golf.com Rory said: “When I’m hitting driver, reaching a solid top position is my only goal. If I’m good at the top, all I have to do is unwind and the ball will go far. When the ball’s on the ground instead of teed up, however, there’s an extra step.

“To hit solid irons, move down and forward from the top as you unwind, so that the bottom of your swing occurs slightly in front of the ball.

“It’s easy to do if you start your downswing by driving your left knee toward the target, then straighten it as you approach impact.

“This gets your energy and swing power moving in the direction of the hit, so you leave nothing behind.”

2. Darren Clarke “Don’t throttle the club”

“If you grip the club too tight obviously your muscles and everything contract and you lose the feel” said Darren speaking to www.yourgolftravel.com.

He added: “If I’m gripping the club it’s almost dropping out of my hands.  That way you let the club move a little bit more as it should be.

“Don’t throttle the club.  Most amateurs try and grip the life out of the club and you see their knuckles go white.  You rarely see that with a pro.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IonizsfzT6Q

3. Graeme McDowell “My takeaway thought”

Graeme told www.golfdigest.com: “Like many good right-handers, I fight hitting it left and have for all of my life. To avoid those hooks, my takeaway thought is to make sure during those first three feet the clubhead works away wide and outside my hands, with a nice bit of loft on the club.

“When I get it wrong, the club sucks back behind my hands on the takeaway, and from there the club gets stuck behind me.

“Once the club is stuck on the inside, the only way I can go from there is out and away from me. That’s going to put a lot of right-to-left spin on the ball – the dreaded hook.”

For more information and tickets for the Irish Golf Expo taking place at Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn on November 28 and 29 log onto www.irishgolfexpo.com