News & Blog

Over £51,000 Additional Benefit Identified

Benefit Checker available

FSWC's FREE Benefit Check Service has idenified over £51,000 in additional benefits for men and women in the Mid-Ulster area.

As you can see from the above report, there has been 72 new referrals to our Service for the financial year ending 31st March 2018. This means that people are still unaware of the benefits they are entitled to.

Since Universal Credit has been computerised, we have been inundated with calls from people with little or no computer experience. This has also made it more difficult for our foreign national neighbours making this a necessary and vital service.

If you or someone you know would like to avail of this FREE service, please contact Gillian on (028) 8772 7648.

Please Note: This Service is only available on Thursdays & Fridays.

Defibrillator Training & First Aid Evaluations

Back to School!

It is hard to believe the summer is nearing an end and the kids will be back at school which means - the rush for school uniforms is on!

Did you know that you can get great deals and most importantly raise free funds for your local Charity when you shop online via Give as you Live??

Just click on the picture above and start shopping and donating today!

First Steps Women's Centre is a registered Charity - Registration Number XR27582.

Happy shopping!

Arlene Foster DUP MLA Visit

FSWC Creche visit by Arlene Foster DUP MLA

First Steps Women’s Centre (FSWC) had the pleasure in welcoming DUP MLA Arlene Foster to First Steps Women’s Centre today (FSWC).

Ms Foster was accompanied by Mid Ulster Council’s Deputy Chair Frances Burton DUP.

Michael McGoldrick, CEO FSWC gave a tour of the refurbished premises and both ladies were extremely impressed with the expansion of the floor space within the Centre.

“The change is a credit to the hard work of the Centre Staff, Volunteers and Board members”, said Ms Burton.

Final Open Day

Today was the last of our Open Days this week!

Many, many thanks to all the ladies who called in, compeleted application forms and left lovely messages in our Visitors Book.

We look forward to seeing you again in September!

Open Day Three

Open Day 3

More lovely visitors today and more lovely comments:

Very welcoming!
Lovely modern building
Helpful Staff
Great opportunities offered

We are Open again tomorrow - call in!

Open Day Two

Open Day 2

More lovely ladies calling in for a chat and signing up for a course!

We also had a visit from Jo and Janice from Asda.

More lovely comments:

Best wishes - great facility!
It's beautiful, like the Staff! Amazing!
Brilliant job, welcoming place!
Good advice. Welcoming
Looking great! Looking forward to attending courses.
Lovely place. Great friendly staff.

Everyone loving our new space!

Open Day One

Open Day 1

Great start to our Open Days!

Today is the first of our four day Open Days this week. Derek and Catherine from SWC will be here today and tomorrow promoting their "College Connect" programme for 16-24 year olds.

We have had a few returners but mostly new faces today.

Thank you all for calling in and signing our Vistors Book. Some of the comments read:

Excellent - very informative!
Welcoming
Very homely
Girls warm and friendly
Excellent facility!
Loved being here last year

Please tell your friends and family and invite them along.

£35,000 Donation Transforms FSWC

Michael & Yvonne with Asda

Following a donation of £35,000, Asda Cookstown General Store Manager, Peter Beckett, and Asda Cookstown Community Champion, Janice Gibson, were delighted to attend the recent opening of the refurbished First Steps Women’s Centre in Dungannon on behalf of the Asda Foundation.

Aimed at transforming the lives of local women, the First Steps Women’s Centre provides educational and training support, alongside health and well-being services. As a direct result of the donation from Asda, the centre was able to improve the on-site facilities for service users through an extensive refurbishment project, including extending its childcare facilities.

Patsy McGlone Visit

Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP) called into the Centre today. He was extremely impressed with our renovations and said:

"I enjoyed my visit to First Steps Women's Centre and to see first hand the great resource it provides for the local community. The new investment and works to the building has undoubtedly added further to that resource to the community and I have been only too glad to work with Michael and his team and wish them all the best for the future"

Official Opening

ABANDONED MILL MAKES WAY FOR NEW NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDED FIRST STEPS WOMEN’S CENTRE

A women’s group in Dungannon has transformed an abandoned mill in the town with the help of National Lottery funding, creating a facility which is set to help improve the lives of women living in the Mid-Ulster area, and those newly arrived to the community.

First Steps Women’s Centre, an organisation which has worked for twenty years with women to help enhance their life prospects, is celebrating the launch of the new facility having received £350,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Funded Space & Place Programme.

Our new Leaflets have arrived!

We are now in possession of our new leaflets!!

We have changed the size and design so that you can tell at a glance what FSWC is all about. Aren't they fab??!!

Don't forget our Open Days from Monday 6th - Thursday 9th August 2018 where you can call in and view our amazing new space.

New Leaflet front

Library Visit

Pre ESOL Library visit

Pre ESOL tea and coffee

The Pre-ESOL Class paid a visit to Dungannon Library today. Elizabeth kindly gave us a detailed tour of each floor and the great facilities on offer.

Computers are available to children (under 8 years must be accompanied by an adult)
Books are available in all languages
Any book can be ordered in any language.
There are books available for the Excelerated Reading Progamme which encourages children to read by making it fun.
Rhythm & Rhyme (0-4 years) Every Friday 10.30am & 11.15am and Saturday 11.00am.
Knit & Natter every Thursday morning from 10.00am - just drop in.
Basic one-to-one computer lessons - need to book
Free tea/coffee/newspapers
Student study area on the top floor (16+)

After our visit to the Library the ladies enjoyed tea and biscuits in La Scala restaurant, Ranfurly House.

Introduction to Computers

Introduction to Computers Class

The lovely ladies from our Introduction to Computers class on their last day with Tutor Patricia Hynds from Tr@inIT.

Well done Ladies!

Space & Place Visit

Space and Place Visit

It was lovely to welcome the Space and Place people here today.

After tea and scones and an update from Project Manager Yvonne Corbett they had a wee duke at our on-going renovation work which they are kindly sponsoring.

As you can see they were all well impressed!

Birthday Celebrations!

Birthday Girl

Many happy returns to our Birthday girl and prominent supporter of FSWC Patrica Davies.

We hope you have a lovely day!

Renovations Week 5

Renovations week 5

We had a wee visit to see how the renovations were getting on last Thursday (before we left in the snow!).

Things are progressing nicely and it's amazing how the place has changed already.

Exciting times!

Asda Foundation helps First Steps Women’s Centre ‘rebuild’ lives

News Release 13 February 2018

Asda Foundation

First Steps Women’s Centre in Dungannon is the latest local group to benefit from Asda Foundation support following a donation of £35k.

Aimed at transforming the lives of local women, the First Steps Women’s Centre provides educational and training support, alongside health and well-being services.

As a direct result of the donation, the centre is able to progress with a building refurbishment project, which will allow it to extend its childcare facilities for service users.