Other NI News In Brief

Cash For Afghanistan

Rathcoole girls Sarah Ward and Tanya Hay (pictured) were among guests at a weekend fundraiser when well over a thousand pounds was raised to aid British soldiers who have been fighting in Afghanistan. Organised to support the work of the Help for Heroes national charity, it was promoted by Monkstown musician, George Campbell and supported by Whiteabbey Royal British Legion, where the gig played to a packed house of almost 200 people. Whiteabbey Royal British Legion Club Manager and former Royal British Legion NI Chairman, John Dumigan, said he has been overwhelmed by the event's success and George Campbell said the hard work had all been worthwhile and revealed the amount of cash raised had topped £1,250 with some more receipts to be counted in, and thanked the cabaret artists and musicians who performed as well as the Whiteabbey Club for the use of the function room.

999 Blaze Alert

An investigation is under way after an ambulance burst into flames on a buy motorway. A woman patient and an ambulance crew had a narrow escape when the vehicle caught fire on the M2 on Sunday. The woman was being taken to Antrim Area Hospital when the crew noticed smoke in the driver's cab. The ambulance pulled onto the hard shoulder of the M2 motorway and everyone got out before it burst into flames and was destroyed. No one was injured and the woman was taken to hospital by a passer-by.

Derry Van Bomb

Two controlled explosions were carried out on a vehicle, which was parked near the courthouse on Bishop Street, Londonderry at the weekend. The police said nothing suspicious was found, and no crime is suspected. Windows and a fanlight in the Deanery of St Columb's Cathedral, one of Derry's most historic buildings, were damaged in the explosion.

Chapel Hoax

A security alert close to a Catholic church in Ballymena on Sunday has been declared a hoax. Army technical officers were called to Larne Road at 12.20pm after a suspicious object was found near the rear of Harryville Catholic church. Police said inquiries were continuing into the circumstances of the hoax. From 1996, the church was at the centre of a two-year campaign by loyalists who staged weekly protests outside. DLP North Antrim MLA Declan O'Loan has called a hoax near Harryville Church in Ballymena "regrettable" and said he hopes the Ballymena area continues to build on its peaceful recent times.

Square Consultation On Way

The NI Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie, has announced the start of a consultation on designs for a renewed Bank Square in Belfast City Centre. The draft proposals have been developed by RPS Planning and Environment Ltd on behalf of the Department for Social Development (DSD). The consultants have worked closely with DSD and in conjunction with Belfast City Council and key city centre stakeholders, as well as traders and property owners in the area. "I am grateful to all those organisations who have contributed to the development of the designs. The Westside Masterplan emphasised the importance of a revitalised Bank Square and the designs that are on show from today include proposals on the lighting and paving of the Square, as well as ideas on performance space to bring the Square to life and to address anti-social behaviour. We hope to create a high quality, well designed shared space in the city centre that local people and visitors alike can use and enjoy," she said.

Recycle Incentive

Students living in Belfast will be in with a chance of pocketing £2,000 thanks to a city council incentive to get them recycling. Belfast City Council has teamed up with Victoria Square to launch the latest phase of its 'Waste – time for action' campaign, which will focus on boosting recycling rates in the university area. From today, staff from the council's waste management service will be monitoring recycling in areas of south Belfast with a high student population, and a share in the £6k total prize fund is up for grabs for the best-performing houses. During the 10 weeks of the campaign, a series of spot checks will identify 40 student households that have been using their recycling bin or box correctly. These households will win a £100 gift card to use at Victoria Square, as well as a lucky 'golden ticket' entitling them to take part in a grand final quiz and be in with the chance of winning a £2,000 gift card that can be used in all stores and restaurants.

(BMcC/GK)