Zoe Douglas from Little Wing gets geared up for a slice of the fun at this week’s Tennents ViTal festival in Bangor. For the first time ever Little Wing’s exclusive Neapolitan-style pizza will be available from a location outside the restaurants and festival revellers will be able to enjoy a range of pizza, including margherita and pepperoni. On top of that, any Belsonic and Tennents ViTal revellers who present stubs of their tickets at any of the three Belfast Little Wing restaurants or the Bangor restaurant will receive the famous ‘Wristpect’  Wristband which enables them to take advantage of a range of offers.

Visit www.littlewingpizzeria.com for more info

Belfast Harbour and the Titanic Foundation have launched a competition for primary school pupils to create Titanic-themed models out of everyday household items. Up for grabs will be exclusive access to the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction opening next year.

Belfast Harbour and the Titanic Foundation have launched a competition for primary school pupils to create Titanic-themed models out of everyday household items. Up for grabs will be exclusive access to the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction opening next year.

The competition will run during the new term in September, but Teachers of Primary 5, 6 and 7 pupils are being asked to register interest now by logging onto Belfast Harbour’s new children’s website: www.webstersays.com which is the online home for Webster, the Port’s environmental guardian, complete with games, green tips and fun facts about Belfast Harbour and Titanic.

Built on the very site where the ship was designed and launched, Titanic Belfast will capture the sights and sounds of Titanic’s story using amazing 3D technology, interactive exhibitions, dedicated education space plus rare archive footage from Titanic’s final resting place at the bottom of the North Atlantic. 

Cliodhna Craig, CEO of Titanic Foundation, the independent charitable Trust which will own Titanic Belfast, said: “We want children from all over Northern Ireland to be inspired by their outstanding industrial and maritime heritage. Titanic was the greatest engineering achievement of its era and our aim is to spur on a new generation of ‘Titanic Thinkers’ who are capable of similar Titanic feats.

“Pupils are being asked to use their creativity to design and build models with a Titanic theme. These could include anything from recreations of the new Titanic Belfast building to interpretations of the Titanic, shipbuilding or something completely different.  As long as there is a Titanic inspiration, the more imaginative the models are the better.”

Models can be built from items such as old plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, cereal or egg boxes, old clothes and shoes or bits of rubber or wood.

There will be three categories, for Primaries 5, 6 and 7. The deadline for entries will be October with winners to be announced in November.

Roy Adair, CEO of Belfast Harbour, said: “Belfast Harbour’s connections with Titanic date from the construction of the ship right through to the creation of Titanic Belfast.  The Harbour is also committed to improving environmental awareness among children through ‘Webster’, the Port’s environmental guardian.

“Webster is delighted to link www.webstersays.com, which has a host of fun games and educational materials, with the Titanic Belfast junk-modelling competition.  There are great prizes to be won and the chance for entries to be featured on Webster’s new site.  This is an excellent way for children to learn more about Titanic and how we can all play our part in looking after the environment.”

Construction of Titanic Belfast, which is expected to attract around 400,000 visitors per year, is continuing apace, with the cladding process well underway and fit-out of its nine galleries due to begin shortly.

Titanic Belfast will also include a Learning Zone which will allow children to take part in structured educational programmes plus an Ocean Exploration Centre linked to ongoing marine research at local universities and live feeds from current explorations being carried out by Dr. Ballard who discovered Titanic in 1985.

Building work is on schedule for completion by March 2012 in time to mark the centenary of RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage a month later.  

Only entries officially registered via www.webstersays.com can be accepted.

At the launch of the Belfast Healthy Cities’ guide for political representatives, entitled ‘Tackling Inequalities and Promoting Wellbeing’, are Dr Bernadette Cullen, Chair of Belfast Healthy Cities, Health Minister, Edwin Poots MLA, Environment Minister, Alex Attwood MLA, and Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities.

Health Minister Edwin Poots MLA and Environment Minister Alex Attwood MLA today launched a guide for political representatives entitled “Tackling Inequalities and Promoting Wellbeing.” The Belfast Healthy Cities publication provides an essential overview of how council services impact on health and wellbeing. It also highlights the role of elected representatives in developing policy designed to tackle inequalities.

The guide was launched today at a Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) event at the Dunsilly Hotel near Antrim.

Speaking at today’s event Health Minister Edwin Poots MLA said: “This publication provides a helpful overview of how Council services impact on health and wellbeing. Elected representatives play a key role in shaping people’s lives, and can make a very significant contribution to creating the living conditions that allow people from all backgrounds to reach their full potential. Healthy people are able to make the most of opportunities and contribute to social and economic prosperity.”

Also speaking at today’s event, Environment Minister Alex Attwood MLA said: “The publication of this Guide is very timely and relevant as we prepare for the introduction of Council-led Community Planning.  Councillors and councils are best placed to forge the partnerships necessary to guide the future development of their district and respond to local concerns.  This Guide will develop and support the capacity of locally elected representatives to undertake an enhanced Civic Leadership role that ensures that people and communities are genuinely engaged in the decisions made about the public services that affect them.

“Effective Community Planning will also provide the opportunity to improve the connection between regional, local and neighbourhood issues and priorities through partnership working and making best use of all available resources to deliver improved outcomes for all our people.”

Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities, said: “One of the cornerstones of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network is political engagement. Participation and support from political decision makers is essential for creating healthy and sustainable cities and communities. The role of local elected representatives is particularly important, as key decisions taken at the local level shape people’s living conditions and significantly influence people’s lives, choices and health outcomes.”

Dr Bernadette Cullen, Chair of Belfast Healthy Cities, said: “This guide is intended to support elected representatives and Councils in identifying how the work of local government contributes to health and wellbeing. We would like to thank both Ministers for attending and NILGA for their kind support in launching the publication at  the first NILGA full members meeting of the new council term, as it gives us access to the guide’s target audience.”

To download an online version of the Executive Summary or the complete guide for political representatives please go to www.belfasthealthycities.com To request a print copy of the Executive Summary please contact Caroline Scott at Belfast Healthy Cities on 02890 328811.

Pupils at St Oliver Plunkett Primary School in Lenadoon making their voices heard on their local environment to Mayor of Belfast Cllr Niall Ó’Donnghaile and Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities.

Politicians and planners were told today to sit up and take notice of young people’s voices in making decisions about their local environment & communities. The wake-up call came as a result of the ‘Shaping Healthy Neighbourhoods for Children’ project organised by Belfast Healthy Cities.

The project asked 9-11 year old children in the Lenadoon and Suffolk areas to go out into their local neighbourhood and decide what, for them, would make a good environment. As they presented their completed artworks the children who participated were congratulated by Mayor of Belfast Cllr Niall Ó’Donnghaile at a special tree-planting ceremony.

Over the last three months pupils from Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, St Oliver Plunkett PS and St John the Baptist PS and children from an afterschool club in Suffolk Community Centre have taken part in the project entitled: “Shaping Healthy Neighbourhoods for Children”. Participants were asked to use photographs and paintings to compile a scrapbook or collage of how they would improve their surroundings.

Belfast Healthy Cities will use photos and findings from the project to compile a report, highlighting children’s views and how young people might be more effectively heard in planning and decision making about their built environment.

Mayor of Belfast Cllr Niall Ó Donnghaile, who was at St Oliver Plunkett Primary School today, said: “It is great to see young people from different communities in west Belfast being given the opportunity to have a say about their environment. The project very much represents an example of active citizenship and I’m very impressed with the scrapbooks and collages that the various groups have completed.”

Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities said: “We are delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor to St Oliver Plunkett Primary School today to present the pupils with certificates for their participation in the project. Children’s voices are not always heard in the design of our built environment, although young people have valuable experiences which can help develop an environment supportive of all users. Our aims were to enable children to think critically about their surroundings and their expectations of it and to develop guidance on shaping healthy environments for children. We would like to thank all schools and the afterschool group that took part in the project for their hard work.”

Mr Headley, Principal of St Oliver Plunkett Primary School, said: “Our Year 5 pupils thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the “Shaping Healthier Neighbourhoods for Children” project. ‘The World around us’ including the built environment is an important element of the school curriculum and by getting out and about locally the children were able to make suggestions about how they might improve their surroundings, for example, on their walk, drive or cycle to school and the areas they play in.”

For more information on Belfast Healthy Cities go to www.belfasthealthycities.com

Children in Belfast and Bangor are being urged to go green and grow their own ingredients thanks to a new initiative launched by local pizzeria Little Wing. From this week children at the restaurant will be supplied with complimentary compost packs along with chilli and tomato seeds so they can try out their gardening skills and grow their own plants.  The child that grows the biggest plant by the end of the summer can treat themselves and their family to a free meal at one of Little Wing’s three Belfast restaurants or the Bangor restaurant.

The initiative was launched by Little Wing Managing Director Conall Wolsey who was joined by sisters 7 year old Connie Gilmore and 5 year old Rosie Gilmore, the first recipients of the new compost packs and seeds.

“Little Wing are committed to the communities where we operate and that includes young people and the environment. We want our young customers to understand the importance of sustainable produce and for that reason we’ll be giving each child a free compost bag along with chilli and tomato seeds so they can try their hand at growing their own ingredients. We have used recycled food waste from the Merchant Hotel to make the compost.” said Conall.

“We want people to really do their best to help their plants flourish, the child with the tallest plant by the end of the summer will get a free meal for themselves and their family. As soon as your plant sprouts, you should upload regular photos to our Facebook page so we can keep track of progress.

“Little Wing are committed to supporting communities and the environment. As well as our compost project, we also plant 2,000 trees for every restaurant opening with our Little Wing forest containing nearly 10,000 trees at this stage. We also regularly visit secondary schools across Northern Ireland with briefings for business students on our own plans and how to set-up your own business,” he added.

The compost pack contains guidelines on how to plant seeds and grow your own plants. “Children can then use the chilli or tomatoes in their own food. At Little Wing quality sourcing is vital and while we have full faith in our young customers, they may not be able to meet our high quality standards,” added Conall.

Pictured at the launch of Craigavon Business Awards Lady Heather McClay, Jim Fitzpatrick and Alderman Sydney Anderson

Businesses throughout Craigavon are being urged to send in their entries for Craigavon Business Awards ahead of the upcoming deadline. Officers from Craigavon Borough Council’s Development Department have been out and about in the Craigavon area in a white Audi supplied by Portadown Audi, with Craigavon Business Awards branding, to raise awareness of the Awards among local businesses.

Organised by Craigavon Borough Council’s Development Department, in association with the Portadown Chamber of Commerce, the awards recognise the vital contribution made by companies throughout the Borough to the local economy. There are 12 award categories and the awards will be presented at a high profile gala ceremony on 10^th June 2010 in Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre.

Among the award categories is the Sir Allen McClay Young Business Person of the Year Award which will pay tribute to Sir Allen McClay, the founder of ALMAC, who died earlier this year.

Other award categories include: Most Innovative Business, Best New Business, Best Green Business, Manufacturing Excellence Award, Tourism Business of the Year, Best Retailer (Independent) and Best Retailer (Multiple), Best Business Award (Rural), Best Business Award(Urban), Best Export Initiative Award and Outstanding contribution to the local economy.

 The Mayor of Craigavon, Councillor Mrs Meta Crozier, said:

“We are encouraging local companies to showcase their accomplishments and seek recognition for their many achievements. During my term in office as Mayor, I have had many opportunities to meet with the business community within the Borough of Craigavon and I know that it holds a wealth of talent and expertise. I hope that many of these companies will consider entering the inaugural Craigavon Business Awards 2010.”

Alderman Sydney Anderson, Chair of the Development Committee, added;

“So far we’ve had great interest from local companies in entering Craigavon Business Awards but given that it’s the first year of the Awards the branded car has helped us to get the message out to the local business community about the upcoming awards. We are looking forward to seeing a high quality of entries from local companies across all the Award categories, during the judging process.”

 Sponsors for the awards include ALMAC, Portadown Chamber of Commerce, Craigavon Industrial Development Organisation (CIDO), Health and Safety Services, Southern Regional College, Invest Northern Ireland, Department for Social Development, ML Design and Management, Ulster Bank and firmus energy.

For more information on entering the awards contact Breda Hamill at Stakeholder on 028 90339949 or email breda@stakeholdergroup.com

Bill Wolsey Conall Wolsey Launch of Little Wing Lisburn Road

Little Wing Pizzeria will open its newest restaurant on the Lisburn Road on Monday 3^rd May. The restaurant which is situated between Cadogan Park and Marlborough Park seats 42 people. Little Wing is part of Beannchor Group, which owns the Merchant Hotel.

Earlier this year Little Wing opened on Belfast’s Ann Street and the next restaurant will launch in Ballyhackamore at the end of May. The company has ambitious plans to open 40 restaurants across the island over the next four years. Little Wing currently employs 25 people in Ann Street and will employ a further 25 people at its new Lisburn Road restaurant.

Altogether Little Wing is making an investment of £750,000 in the three Belfast restaurants.

Conall Wolsey, Managing Director of Little Wing Pizzeria, said:

“As part of our research we sent an Executive Chef to Italy and New York to identify the ingredients which produce the best and most authentic tasting pizzas. This involved examining the optimum cooking process for pizzas and undertaking extensive research into the best pizza ovens.

“We have invested heavily in top of the range wood stone ovens for each of our Little Wing Pizzerias. We are producing authentic pizzas from scratch, using fresh ingredients, with no additives or preservatives at an affordable price. So far the response we have had has been great and our Ann Street restaurant is performing well. We believe we now have the right business model and product to roll Little Wing out across the island.”

Inspiration has been drawn from traditional Italian trattorias and American pizzerias in designing the Little Wing Pizzerias. Quirky touches have also been added to enhance the customer’s overall experience such as traditional wooden framed paintings of Naples and early Motown music.

Opening hours for the Lisburn Road Little Wing Pizzeria are Monday to Wednesday 9am until 10pm,  Thursday to Saturday 9am until 11.30pm and Sunday 9am until 10pm.

The pizzeria will be opening its doors to local charities, community groups and sports clubs who want to hold fundraising events at breakfast time, lunch time and dinner time during the week of the pre-launch, where food will be provided free of charge.

Conall Wolsey, Managing Director of Little Wing Pizzeria, said:

“We felt it was important to appeal to charities, community groups  and sports clubs from the local area and give them the opportunity to undertake some worthwhile fundraising activity, while at the same time getting a chance to sample some of our pizzas. As we are providing the pizza for free it means that all proceeds raised can go straight to the local charities or community groups.

“From our point of view as well as giving something back to the local community it allows us to ensure everything in the restaurant is running smoothly ahead of our official opening on Monday, 3^rd May. We look forward to hearing from local charities, community groups and sports clubs interested in organising fundraising activities during the pre-launch week.”

Organisations from the Lisburn Road area, who would like to request a slot during the pre-launch week should complete a postcard with their name and registered charity number (if relevant) and say in less than 50 words why their organisation should be allocated a slot for a fundraising event during the week of the pre-launch. Entries should be returned to Eleanor Anderson c/o Stakeholder Communications, The Newsroom, Fountain Centre, Belfast BT1 6ET by Friday, 16th April.

Little Wing is a traditional style Italian pizzeria producing healthy pizzas with fresh ingredients. The Lisburn Road restaurant will seat 42 people. Little Wing will open its next restaurant in Ballyhackamore at the end of May and has ambitious plans to roll out restaurants across the island over the next few years.

Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities and Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive of the Public Health Agency, Launch ‘Healthy Places, Strong Foundations” to coincide with World Health Day(today 7th April)

Belfast Healthy Cities has launched a publication entitled “Healthy Places: Strong Foundations” to mark World Health Day which takes place today. (7th April). Belfast Healthy Cities wants to highlight that Belfast, as a leading WHO European Healthy City, should be asking questions like ‘How does the way we build our environment affect our wellbeing?’ and ‘Can our living conditions improve our health as well as our economy?’

The publication highlights how the built environment shapes people’s everyday living conditions and through it people’s health and wellbeing. It demonstrates how land use that supports local services and facilities, green and open spaces and good connectivity can underpin improved health and wellbeing, for example through encouraging physical activity. The publication goes on to stress how good use of land can ultimately contribute to a vibrant and sustainable economy, through a healthier population

Joan Devlin, Director of Belfast Healthy Cities, is currently in Geneva at WHO global headquarters, where she is chairing a round table discussion about health impact assessments applied to urban development  policies and plans. Speaking from the WHO event in Geneva Joan Devlin said:

“Our latest publication “Healthy Places: Strong Foundations,” highlights how policies and decisions on the built environment shape health, as they influence people’s ability to access jobs, services and leisure opportunities, be physically active, and build social networks. We believe the quality of the built environment is vital for reducing inequalities in health, which cause both individual suffering and societal loss, through unused human potential.

“An important message from the publication is that a healthy population contributes to a prosperous and sustainable society, through greater productivity, innovation and ability to maintain high skill levels.

“The publication highlights that it is imperative that all those involved in land use planning, transport and housing collaborate together to ensure that the built environment has a positive effect on people’s health and not a negative one. This should also include engagement with the local community and local organisations to ensure that proposals developed are as effective as possible.”

Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive of the Public Health Agency said:

““World Health Day this year focuses on urbanization and health. This publication highlights the links between health and the built environment and will be a helpful tool for developing future collaboration in this area and contribute to improving public health.”

For more information on “Healthy Places: Strong Foundations” contact Jonna Monaghan at Belfast Healthy Cities.

Marketing Student Laura Strain and Michael Maguire, Director of CIM Ireland launch the BRAND New 2010 Conference and Awards at Hillmount Garden Centre

CIM Ireland is sending out Moneymaker tomato seeds to local businesses to make them aware of the ‘BRAND New 2010’ Conference and Awards. Companies are being encouraged to grow the Moneymaker tomato plants between now and the conference on Thursday, 20^th May at Belfast’s Ramada Hotel.

‘BRAND New 2010’ is CIM Ireland’s first-ever conference and it will focus on successful all-island brands. Delegates will hear from the people behind some of Ireland’s best known brands and participate in a range of interactive workshops. Speakers include Gavin Bell, Social Marketing expert and author of ‘Building Social Web Applications’ and University of Ulster Professor Stephen Brown whose publications include ‘The Lost Logo’ and ‘Harry Potter Brand Wizard’. The Awards ceremony will take place on the evening of the conference.

Michael Maguire, Director of CIM Ireland, said:

“This year we’ve decided to use a novel technique to generate interest in our inaugural CIM Ireland Conference and also in the Awards, which were launched during Marketing Week in October. The tomato seeds we are sending out to local companies are called Moneymakers. We felt this was appropriate as both brands and seeds need commitment, nurturing and investment, in order to prosper and if you build a successful brand it will inevitably ‘make money’ for the company. 

“The accompanying instruction card we have sent includes details on planting, watering and general care as well as key dates in the run up to the CIM Ireland Awards and Conference. These include the deadline for Award entries on 4^th March, the deadline for registration for the Conference and Awards on 31^st March  and the BRAND New 2010 Conference and Awards on 20^th May. We are encouraging people to keep up-to-date with progress on their Moneymaker and further information on the Conference and Awards on our Twitter site at www.twitter.com/cimireland

“The BRAND New 2010 Conference will be the first conference that CIM has organised and it is in response to a CIM Ireland study last year among local companies, which showed that the time was right for a marketing-focused conference to capitalise on a spirit of open-mindedness in the business community. We also felt it was appropriate to hold our Award ceremony on same evening as the conference.  Our keynote speaker Gavin Bell will discuss how companies need to use social networking sites to market their products and services, while our other keynote, Stephen Brown, will focus on the success of marketing of the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Da Vinci Code’ brands.”

 “We hope that companies will take the opportunity to grow their Moneymaker tomato plants in time for the Conference and Awards on 20^th May.”

 For more information on the Conference or Awards please go to www.cimireland.org