September 2022
Armagh Specialist Construction Supplier SDG raises £20,000 to support local charities.
Local Specialist Construction Supplies Company SDG this week handed over £20,000 to two local charities, Air Ambulance NI and Cancer Fund for Children. The presentation took place at SDG Head Office located at Tullygoonigan Industrial Estate. CEO Louise Skeath and members of staff presented £10,000 to each charity from fundraising events held throughout the year. Since 2021, SDG have held a number of events including a Dragon Race, abseil from the top of the Europa Hotel, a charity mountain climb up Slieve Donard and in July a Spinathon at the Head Office, which saw 40 participants cycle over 700 miles in one day. The £20,000 raised is as a result of the company, which celebrated 30 years in business in 2020, agreeing with staff to start a “Charity of the Year” initiative in 2021 to give something back to local communities.
Commenting on the charity initiatives held since 2021, Louise Skeath Chief Executive of SDG said;
“We started this charity fundraiser last summer and at the time with everyone starting to return to normal life again it felt even more important to support charities who are essential to our families and local communities. We are delighted with the final total raised and are thrilled to hand over two £10,000 cheques to Air Ambulance NI and Cancer Fund for Children. The final figure of £20,000 is credit to the support and ambition of staff, customers, suppliers, and neighbours here at Tullygoonigan who all pitched in to help raise the monies, so it’s a wonderful outcome for everyone, not least the two charities.”
Thanking SDG for the support for its works, Amy Henshaw, Regional Fundraising Coordinator for Air Ambulance NI said:
“Thank you so much to all the staff at SDG for your enthusiasm and hard work in supporting Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI) over the past year. We are truly delighted to have received such an amazing donation of £10,000 from the various events staff had taken part in and also organised such as the Dragon Boat Race and Spinathon. Through your outstanding contribution to AANI, you have kept the helicopter operational for almost two full days, which will potentially help 4 people in Northern Ireland who require urgent, critical care. As a charity, we heavily rely on charitable donations from local businesses, so thank you sincerely for this truly wonderful donation as without it, the team simply couldn’t fly.”
Welcoming the £10,000 donation, Mairead Rodgers, Corporate Fundraiser for Cancer Fund for Children added:
“At Cancer Fund for Children, we were absolutely delighted to be chosen as one SDG’s charity partners for 2021. SDG have gone above and beyond throughout the year to raise funds through a variety of events and activities to help the support the aims of our charity. We exist to help ensure that no child faces cancer alone, and we simply could not do this without the incredible support of amazing businesses like SDG. We were thrilled to be able to work with their highly motivated team and are beyond grateful for their massive donation of £10,000.”
July 2022
Monday 18 July 2022
Armagh Construction Company SDG are on their bikes for £10,000 local charity push.
Local Construction Supplies Company, SDG are getting on their bikes to support two local charities, Air Ambulance and Cancer Fund for Children at their offices located at Tullygoonigan Industrial Estate at the end of this month, in their efforts to raise £10,000 for the charities this year. Already the company and staff have held and taken part in a number of events including a Dragon Race, abseil of the Europa Hotel and a charity mountain climb up Slieve Donard in the Mournes. The company, which celebrated 30 years in business in 2020, agreed with staff to start a “Charity of the Year” initiative in 2021 to give something back to local communities.
To date the team at SDG have raised 75% of their £10,000 target and are now on the final push for the charities through a Spinathon fundraising event to be held at Tullygoonigan Industrial Estate on Friday 29 July 2022, and those who love a bike ride and want to get involved are invited! SDG are asking staff, local businesses and customers to fundraise locally and spin for 30 minutes, or if you feel you want to an 1 hour if your legs can take it! A number of bikes will be in operation on the day, with spin slots available from 9.30am-3.30pm on the day.
Commenting on the SDG Spinathon, Louise Skeath CEO of SDG said;
“We started this charity fundraiser last August and at the time with everyone starting to return to normal life again it felt even more important to support charities who are essential to families and communities every single day here. We are delighted with the monies raised so far, and now want to get that final target over the line!
Our neighbours Setanta Fitness here on site have loaned us the bikes for the day, and we are hoping to notch up a few hundred miles! We have invited customers, staff and our business neighbours here in the industrial estate to join us. Anyone who can jump on a bike and fundraise is welcome, and for those who can’t and just want to drop by, say hi on the day, make a donation, and have a cup of tea with us, are very welcome too.”
Since 2021, for the last 11 months SDG staff have been fundraising for two Northern Ireland charities, Air Ambulance and Cancer Fund for Children, and to date have raised £7,500 of a £10,000 target - £5,000 for each charity.
SDG will have representatives of both charities Air Ambulance and Cancer Fund for Children onsite on the day, and are excited for a fun day, raising money for good causes. There may even be a cupcake and a cuppa for all participants, as well as plenty of refreshments on the day.
To get involved visit https://wearesdg.com/resources/news/3-bikes-5-hours-250-miles/
July 2022
Glenpark Estate celebrates Tourism NI investment support
Glenpark Estate, located in the Gortin Glens, an area of outstanding natural beauty in Tyrone owned by local family, Richard and Selina Beattie is celebrating the opening of a series of new facilities thanks to over £97,600 in funding from the Tourism NI Experience Development Programme. The family have worked with Tourism NI to deliver on their ambitious plans to turn the site into an active tourism experience with a focus on days out, food and quality outdoor experiences.
Visitors to the new Glenpark Estate can now enjoy a new visitor welcome area, new walks and tourism experiences including farm tours, cookery experience and a new children’s play area, all supported by Tourism NI through the Tourism NI Experience Development Programme. The caravan and camping site have reopened, and a new outdoor cooking area has been created. New signage has also been created to guide visitors around the site. Activities including mediation, yoga and Thai Chi are all available to book during the year at the Estate. A new website and branding is also in place.
Already Glenpark Estate is well established as a days out and wedding venue and offers accommodation, as well as a number of restaurants. The newly established open farm is host to animals including Valais Black nose sheep, highland & longhorn cattle and deer. Tours of the farm are available and can be prebooked through the Estate team. The Estate has a strong focus on local food and sourcing, with weekly menus, created by Head Chef Paul Quinn. The farm shop on site, also hosts seasonal produce, local artisan food, baking and local arts and crafts.
Welcoming the investment from Tourism NI Experience Development Programme, Richard Beattie, owner of Glenpark said;
“We are delighted to see the success of Glenpark Estate already and are thrilled to see the site working so well and becoming established as a great day out for families and friends wanting to explore, meet up or relax in this lovely area. From the outset, we have wanted to create Glenpark Estate as a vibrant multi visitor site and its really thriving among the Sperrins as a great place to visit. We are now offering accommodation on site, caravanning, camping, retail, outdoor activities and handpicked outdoor and cooking experiences on site. All are environmentally friendly and sustainable, and we have a rich annual events programme – the Estate now has so much to offer.”
“Working to deliver tourism excellence in Glenpark Estate through the funding from Tourism NI Experience Development Programme, we have created a natural outdoor experience on the site, embracing all of the key assets and natural elements of the existing site and maximising and further focusing on its position adjoining the neighbouring Gortin Glens forest park, including trails and a new children’s play area,” Richard added.
Welcoming the developments in Glenpark Estate, Sheena Dickson, Landscape & Activities Tourism Manager from Tourism NI added;
“We are delighted to support the exciting new developments at Glenpark Estate which will see a range of new food and outdoor experiences come to life across the estate. The evolution of new tourism experiences like this shows that innovation continues to be at the forefront of the development of the industry here. I have no doubt that this exciting addition to Glenpark Estate will be central to the visitor experience in County Tyrone, creating new and compelling reasons to visit the area.”
Since opening its doors, the estate has already welcomed over 250,000 visitors, and plans are in development for creating more events and activities on the site. Glenpark currently employs 75 staff across all areas of the Estate.
June 2022
Mackle Communications makes the top 4 Outstanding Independent PR Practitioners at UK CIPR Excellence Awards.
A local boutique PR consultancy established in 2015, has made it to the final 4 in the UK for Outstanding Independent PR Practitioner. Moy native Maurica Mackle owner of Mackle Communications was the only Northern Ireland independent consultancy to make the final of the prestigious CIPR Excellence Awards held at The Artillery Gardens in London. The Awards – hosted by BBC Presenter Jeremy Vine – celebrates the exceptional contribution made to the industry by agencies, teams and individual practitioners from the last 12 months, and was attended by over 600 PR professionals and guests.
Mackle Communications delivers consultancy advice to a broad range of clients in the public, private and charity sectors across Ireland and further afield. Named in the top 70 PR professionals in the UK in 2018, Maurica won the Gold Award from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, in the category of ‘Outstanding Independent PR Practitioner’ in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2017 Maurica became a Chartered PR Practitioner, and in 2016 was made a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Commenting on the Awards, Emma Leech Found.Chart.PR FCIPR, CIPR President, said;
“Our profession is making its mark on business and society. It’s heartening to see PR professionals spearhead organisational efforts to engage on key societal issues; from malnutrition to children’s literacy and gender inequality. Our work makes a genuine impact on society, just as it does on business. The next time you hear the value of PR questioned, point to these winners as an example of the exceptional contribution our industry delivers for its clients and organisations. Congratulations to each and every one of our winners and shortlisted entrants.”
Prior to setting up her business, Maurica was a Ministerial advisor in the Welsh Government, having previously worked for National Trust, and Omagh District Council.
April 2021
7th April 2021
Naturo Brexit boom sees exponential growth in online sales for local petfood manufacturer.
Local petfood manufacturer, Mackle Petfoods, owner of the premium Naturo natural petfood and Norsh pet snack brands, has credited Brexit with an exponential rise in online orders since the start of 2021. Last year sales of Naturo was over £20.9m across online and instore. Already this year, Naturo online sales saw a 64% since the start of the year, a trend which has remained steady in the first 3 months and looks set to remain. The company believes the recent phenomenal growth is as a result of constant innovation and development by Mackle Petfoods in response to customer feedback and market trends, and how customers across UK and Ireland are purchasing since Brexit commenced on 31 December 2020.
Launched in 2010, Naturo has grown from an initial 4 varieties, to 38, includes wet and dry food, grain free, gluten free and rice options suitable for all stages of a dog’s life from Puppy, through to Adult and Senior years. Naturo also includes a grain free range for adult cats.
Commenting on the growth in online sales, Lauren Toal, Naturo Brand Manager, said:
“Since March 2020, the increase in families with pets has definitely made demand for the Naturo brand more popular, and the brand had its best year to date, surpassing all targets set. Naturally we were thrilled with this, however since Brexit, this has taken an even bigger leap with a 64% increase in sales online alone. We are attributing this to a number of factors; more ‘new’ first time pet owners purchasing Naturo, and more pet owners who previously bought other brands, now purchasing Naturo because we deliver UK and Ireland wide, to their door via our website. Brexit has been wonderful for our online business to date.
Many petfood companies ceased delivery to Northern Ireland in late last year, whereas we focused on making sure Naturo was able to meet demand across UK and Ireland, and this has resulted in a significant number of new customers purchasing Naturo online. Since December 31st, we have had over 85,000 new visits to our website from customers who are now experiencing Naturo for the first time, and with a new TV campaign now live across UK and Ireland, we are very hopeful this will continue to increase,” Lauren concluded
Naturo is available at major retailers across Northern Ireland, ROI, and GB, as well as independent retailers, in addition to their online store www.naturopetfoods.com.