Nurturing hearts & minds in North West Clare

by Stuart Holly editor@clareecho.ie

THE North West Clare Family Resource Centre’s mission statement is straight to the point – to support the growth of a strong, inclusive community in North West Clare.

While its mission statement evokes simplicity, the wide range of services being offered to people living in North West Clare are more complex, with a huge focus on mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of what they do.

Cork native Miriam Hallahan, who relocated to Clare after marrying a Miltown Malbay man, has been in the role of Manager Co-ordinator at the North West Clare Family Resource Centre since January.

The centre was established in 2000 and is now located above the Ennistymon Digihub, while they operate at two further premises including Parish House in Ennistymon, and the creche. The centre employs 10 people and is TUSLA funded with support also from Pobal, the Family Resource Centre National Forum, and Clare

County Council.

Speaking to The Clare Echo, Miriam states, “We are here for the community and we provide services based on the need of the community as they arise. It’s ever evolving, our work, to meet that needs. We have a full timetable Monday to Friday and there’s a variety of activities every day.”

Those activities cover all age groups, including baby massage classes, yoga, parent & toddler groups, a men’s shed, gardening courses and much more, all examples of how the centre is nourishing the hearts and souls of people in North West Clare.

A Clare Youth Action group runs each Thursday from 4-6pm for young people in the community, while summer camps will also be held in the coming months, with various activities on the agenda including football and music.

Miriam says there is a massive feelgood factor on being involved with the North West Clare Family Resource Centre. “There’s so many people in and out the door here. No day is alike, it’s a vital service for the commu- nity and there’s been people coming in here for 20 years. We have the sewing group and a textile group as well, they’ve been coming in here for years. Then it’s lovely to see all the new people coming in like the Ukrainian teens and treating the place like their own space.

“It’s very social. We have the men’s shed as well and community garden group, they’re real social groups.”

Miriam ensures the dayto-day delivery of the service and most notably, two new full-time workers were hired earlier this year to specifically cater to the needs of the Ukrainian community.

“They’re covering Lahinch, Ennistymon, Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, Kilfenora and Liscannor. They’ve been delivering a programme that’s ever-adapting. We have a drop-in service, we have teen groups that come in on a Monday morning and we have the kids clubs running on Thursday in Lahinch Leisure Centre and we have another one in the Pavillion in Lisdoonvarna in Friday.

“They’re running really well and it just shows the need for them in the commu- nity. We also have active play sessions on a Wednesday in Lisdoonvarna. We also have a play therapist working with us on a Wednesday in parish House, which is used primarily for counselling and play therapy.

“One of our support workers is a member of the Ukrainian community so she’s able to know from the grassroots what’s needed. The feedback has been amazing.

“For example, a lot of the Ukrainian teens, they love to cook and they mightn’t have the facilities to cook so they come into our youth groups and do all their cooking here and we have X-Box’s, pool tables, they can come in and be themselves. The toddler and parent groups are really good, it gives parents the opportunity to chat while the children are playing.”

The Centre also employs a member of staff who works directly with the local Traveller population.

Miriam explains that a counselling service is also offered by the resource centre, with three counsellors and one play therapist available through the service. “It’s something we’re looking to expand in the future because there’s a massive need in Northwest Clare.”

She adds that North West Clare Family Resource Centre has an open door policy and encourages people to pop in, “We love when people just call in and ask about us, even if people have suggestions about what they’d like to see in the community they’re welcome to come in and chat with us too.”

Contact North West Clare Family Resource Centre by emailing info@northwestclarefrc.ie or call 065 707 1144.

‘Minding Your Wellbeing’ online programme with the HSE – an evidence-based programme that provides a unique opportunity for people to learn more about mindfulness, gratitude, self-care and resilience. It has been adapted from a face-to-face programme into a series of free to view online videos to make it more accessible to the public at this time. The programme consists of 5 video sessions (20 mins) which are available via www.yourmentalhealth.ie. The content focuses on: practicing self-care, understanding our thoughts, exploring emotions, building positive relationships and improving resilience, all of which are important for mental health and wellbeing.