Bowtown Community Development Group

15/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bz3693nfG/?mibextid=wwXIfr

✨Date for your diary: GRANDfest 2026! ✨

Ards and North Down PCSP will be joining the Council's Good Relations team at GRANDfest, the annual community celebration bringing together music, dance, art, and food from around the world!

📅 Saturday 17 October 2026
⏰ 2-5pm
📍Queens Hall, Newtownards

FREE family-friendly event 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Live Music | Food | Arts & Crafts | Games | Dancing | FizzWizzPop MAGIC Experience | Amazon Jungle Reptile Show

There will also be Information stalls from many local services.

We look forward to seeing you there: bring your family and friends and enjoy a few hours of good fun together!

No registration required.

13/10/2026

Boys turn out on the rib at Strangford Lough on Sunday 🚤

They learnt some facts and myths about the lough and the dolphins made a surprise appearance too 🐬

Everyone had an excellent time 😊 Massive thanks to Aaron the neighbourhood officer for taking us there and joining us for the evening.

To finish of the evening, everyone enjoyed a pizza 🍕

11/10/2026

🏡 Community Survey🏡

It’s that time again when i pester everyone to fill in the survey😊

These surveys are important because they ensure that your opinions are taken into account. This helps us plan for future projects and activities ❤️ it also helps us to understand what issues are affecting residents the most.

It won’t take long to complete

Thank you 😁😁

06/10/2026

04/10/2026

Cleaning up one area at a time 🌹

Today Paul was out removing the moss build up from 2 areas at Abbot Court & Abbot Cresent. He had some excellent helpers today who really rolled up their sleeves 💪

Tonight, along with Sharon and Aaron from the PSNI, the kids planted out one of the big stone planters in the estate. This was overgrown and unsightly but not anymore thank to all the kids that got stuck in and planted it out 😊

To finish the night everyone had a well deserved pizza 🍕

Big thanks to everyone that lent a hand today & big thanks to the kids for making the area that bit brighter ❤️

04/10/2026

🏡 Community Survey🏡

It’s that time again when i pester everyone to fill in the survey😊

These surveys are important because they ensure that your opinions are taken into account. This helps us plan for future projects and activities ❤️ it also helps us to understand what issues are affecting residents the most.

It won’t take long to complete

Thank you 😁😁

02/10/2026

Something different for a Friday evening 🌊🐬

Tonight Sharon, our neighbourhood officer and ourselves took some of the girls down to Strangford Activity Centre for a sunset tour of the lough on the rib 🚤

Rory from Strangford Activity Centre gave us all some information about Strangford Lough ( in between the donuts of course 😂)

The best part of the night was when the loughs resident dolphins decided to make an appearance alongside the boat 🐬

We then finished the night of with some pizza 🍕

It was an excellent evening. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves ❤️

30/09/2026

Massive thank you to Glenn from Blaze Fx for coming down today and fixing the mural on Abbot Drive.

To his credit within one hour of me calling him yesterday, he was down to have a look and see what needed done for it be put back the way it should have been ❤️ It is really appreciated.

29/09/2026

I cannot believe what i have woken up to this morning on the mural at Abbot Drive.

This is a community mural, there for everyone to enjoy. It is despicable that someone would come and spray paint this on it. There isn’t enough words to express how angry i am.

Actions like this are the lowest form of low. It is not right that something that brought everyone so much in the estate has been defaced.

Projects such as these don’t happen overnight. They are months- sometimes years worth of planning. No one has the right to damage artwork that belongs to our community.

This will be reported to this police and i appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

24/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DTZGCmqZv/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Ards and North Down Borough Council requires a new local, evidence led strategy to be developed for 2027-2031, aligned to The Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Strategy launched by the Executive Office in 2024.

A number of public consultation sessions, in-person and online, will take place:

📅 Tuesday 6th October 2026
- Kilcooley Women’s Centre, 1 Kilcooley Square, Bangor BT19 1SH | 1pm - 3pm
- Online via MS Teams | 6pm - 8pm

📅 Wednesday 7th October 2026
- Portavogie Community Centre, 54 New Harbour Road, Portavogie, BT22 | 1pm - 3pm
- Manor Court Community Centre, 4LT, 69 Mill St, Newtownards BT23 4LW | 6pm - 8pm

📅 Wednesday 14th October 2026
- Online via MS Teams | 10am - 12pm

To register your attendance, please email: [email protected]