Other News In Brief

Bombardier Sale Welcomed

News that US firm Spirit Aerosystems has bought Bombardier's local operations has been welcomed by the DUP.

The Canadian-owned company employs around 3,500 people in Northern Ireland with a factory in east Belfast that supplies wings for the Airbus A220.

Kansas-based Spirit is a major supplier to both Airbus and Boeing.

Local Democratic Unionist Gavin Robinson said: "Bombardier is absolutely integral to the Northern Ireland and since the partnership with Airbus there has been an upturn in orders for the A220 planes. That is significant because the three plans in Belfast, Morocco and Dallas that have been sold are all related to Bombardier's commercial aviation business. The company locally has also been diversifying into new and exciting areas.

"There have been many uncertain times for staff in Belfast, since the complaint was brought by Boeing and more recently with the announcement of the sale. What has always shone through throughout that time however has been the quality of the workforce and the high-quality, specialised product that is made in Belfast.

"Spirit are a major company within the aerospace industry and it represents a desire by Spirit to grow its business. The future for the A220 programme is very positive and I hope this can represent a new settled future for the Belfast plant and allow the workforce to concentrate on what they do best; producing a world-leading product."

Lisburn Bomb Memorial Vandalised

An Ulster Unionist councillor has told of his disgust at the vandalism of wreaths laid in memory of the Lisburn Half Marathon bombing.

The memorial to victims of the 1988 explosion, which saw a van carrying six soldiers blown up by the IRA at the end of the marathon, was targeted by vandals with wreaths damaged.

UUP Councillor for Lisburn North condemned the attack in a post on Twitter, writing: "Disgusted to learn that the memorial to those murdered in the Lisburn Half Marathon bomb has been vandalised. Some people have no shame."

Alliance Cllr for the area Sorcha Eastwood added: "Absolutely disgusted and sickened to hear that the memorial to the Lisburn Fun Run Bombing in Market Place has been vandalised. A really disgusting and reprehensible act of great disrespect not just to those soldier's families, but to us all. No place for this in our society."

Farming Families Offered Free First Aid Training

Farming families across Northern can avail of free first aid training sessions.

CAFRE has teamed up with Global Horizon Skills to run the programme, with each three-hour training session also open to groups such as young farmers, community organisations and wholesalers.

Interested parties can partake at a date and time that suits them from the scheduled sessions, details of which are available here.

The Ulster Farmers' Union has encouraged its members to avail of the opportunity which has improved safety levels on farms and provides vital life-saving information, useful should an emergency ever arise. Each individual who participates in the training will receive a free First Aid Kit at the end.

For further information email yasmin@ghskills.com or niamh@ghskills.com or call 028 8225 6772.



(JG/CM)