Minister praises community and voluntary sector on visit to Offaly

Minister Joe O’Brien praised the role of the community and voluntary sector in Offaly for pandemic efforts and asks organisations to be prepared to assist re Ukrainian crisis

On a visit to community and voluntary groups in Offaly this week, Minister for Community Development and Charities Joe O’Brien thanked local groups for their efforts during the pandemic.

The Minister said: “I was particularly glad to visit the Ard Aoibhin’s Centre in Mount Bolus where I met with the team providing Meals on Wheels service to the local community as well as a weekly Social Food event - which was in full swing when I visited. It was also of particular interest to me in my role as Chair of a government Working Group on Food Poverty.

"The role of volunteers in the pandemic was particularly important and I’m delighted that tomorrow I will be officially opening the Offaly Volunteer Centre. This means we will have a better resourced focal point for volunteerism in Offaly and it means we will be able to offer people interested in volunteering a more structured and supported experience and indeed likewise for organisations who are interested in engaging volunteers."

Minister O’Brien indicated that the government may be engaging with community and voluntary groups in Offaly and across Ireland in terms of the nation’s response to refugees from Ukraine.

Volunteers join Offaly town's Community First Responders group

He said: “Government is currently developing its response to how we are going to welcome and support and refugees from Ukraine. The pandemic has further shown us what a key partner the community and voluntary sector is times of crisis. And indeed the sector is already responding to the current crisis. I think it’s likely we will be further engaging with the community and voluntary sector across the country in terms of developing a whole of society response to refugees arriving from Ukraine.”

Minister O’Brien also visited Green Offaly, a Just Transition funded project in Kilcormac where he met members of the Offaly Public Participation Network (PPN). The project aims to facilitate the Green Regeneration of Offaly through the involvement of the people who live and work there.

He continued to Faithful Fields, Offaly GAA’s Centre of Excellence where he met the Secretary of Offaly County Board and those participating in the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and TÚS scheme who maintain the grounds that provide a range of high quality facilities for training and games, as well as a walking track for use by the community.

Minister O’Brien went on to visit an activity project for Asylum Seeker Direct Provision Centre residents funded under SICAP.   He met with Community Development Workers who have been assisting residents integrate into the community and helping them overcome barriers that prevent them getting jobs.  

Minister O'Brien will speak at the ILDN Council meeting at the Tullamore Court Hotel on Friday before formally opening the new Offaly Volunteer Centre in Tullamore.