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News
Honours for people in Clogher Diocese
Joy Coalter.
Two people from Clogher Diocese have been honoured with special awards for 2024.
Joy Coalter, a Diocesan Reader from Brookeborough and a member of Colebrooke Parish, has received the BEM in the New Year Honours List while Norman Coalter, an Enniskillen businessman and member of Enniskillen Parish at St. Macartin's Cathedral, is the new High Sheriff for Fermanagh.
Joy Coalter, a member of St. Ronan’s Church, Colebrooke in the Aghalurcher Group of Parishes, retired in 2022 as Cleaner and Caretaker at Brookeborough Primary School after 35 years of service.
Joy said her immediate reaction when she received an official letter informing her she had been nominated for a BEM was, “I thought it was a scam as I’m always so wary of scams.”
Joy was part of the life of the primary school for decades, supporting the teaching staff at key times of the year and encouraging the pupils. She said she would have dressed up in fancy dress outfits during charity events or helped to raise money for charity. She also acted as a keyholder and in earlier years of her service, helped out as a classroom assistant.
She worked with three school principals during her career and was proud to see her four children attend the school.
As a parishioner of Colebrooke Parish, Joy was firstly a Parish Reader before becoming a Diocesan Reader and has taken services across the diocese as well as in her own parish. She also represents the parish on the Diocesan Synod and in earlier years was a GFS leader. She is also a member of the Mothers’ Union.
Norman Coalter runs the Horseshow and Saddlers Bar in Enniskillen.
The appointment of High Sheriff is mostly an honorary title but his role would be to greet any members of the Royal Family or Head of State visiting the county or to receive a High Court Judge for a Crown Court sitting as well as other duties such as attending functions by invitation.
Norman Coalter.
He said his mission during his year in office is to encourage more people to visit Fermanagh and to market the tourism product available.
“We have a beautiful county and if there are any instrumental things at all coming, I will be saying, come to Fermanagh,” he said. He is a member of Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism Association.
His appointment has been a popular one, as it has been warmly welcomed at Enniskillen Cathedral and further afield as he has received many cards and letters from well-wishers. Norman’s business is well known throughout the county and beyond, providing funeral teas for many churches as well as catering for weddings and other events.