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10th December 2013 • Volume 20, Issue 47 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie
Local Charity Shocked At Demand For Help Pictured here at Fingal Community College are AIB Swords Branch Manager Lucia O'Riordan, Brian Walsh, Aimee O´Rourke, Conor Rogers, David Farrelly, Garrett Dillon, Chloe McCarthey and AIB Representative Pol O’Murchu.
Talented Students Open Bank In Swords told the County Enterprising students By Emily Withers of Fingal Community @TheCountyLeader Leader, “This is an incredible opportunity College (FCC) in Swords officially opened their for students to become financially student bank ‘Fingal Cash Centre’ responsible from a young age and get into the habit of saving.” on Thursday 5th December. In attendance for the event were The bank is entirely student run the entire student bank and led by pupils, who successcommittee, alongside Tony fully interviewed for their roles, Lambert, CEO Fingal Dublin and provides the opportunity for Chamber, Lucia O’Riordan, AIB fellow students to open accounts, Swords Bank Branch Manager and lodge cheques and start saving Sharon McGrath, FCC School their money. “Enterprisers such as Principal. The AIB ‘Build a Bank’ these students are where the Challenge is an initiative for future’s going and they just need Transition and fifth years to run that bit of encouragement,” their own school bank with the Lambert said. Their collective hard support of AIB. Now in its eleventh work has led them to partake in year, it enables the students to the upcoming regional final for the develop a business and maintain it ‘Build A Bank’ Competition, with a throughout the school year. Conor view to reach the National Final Rogers, the student Bank Manager next year.
40 PER CENT HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR The local St Vincent de Paul Society, the largest charitable organisation in the North County, is currently experiencing it’s busiest year to date, and is now struggling to keep up with demands for it’s services. With the recent exit from the By Patrick Finnegan tors in the past, are now among the people we are now visiting. bailout programme and the @TheCountyLeader We’ve had a lot of job losses fact that our economy is returning to health, this news will come as earlier in the year, and if some families had a surprise to many. In an effort to find out multiple members working in a company how serious the problem is in the local that closed down, then everyone is in area, the County Leader spoke with some trouble,” he said. of the leading members of the charity in the Meanwhile, President of Balbriggan SVP, North County. All spokespersons we talked Dermot Murray said, “In general, the calls to were full of praise for the continuing, are up this year and there’s a real need out outstanding generosity of people here in there. People are experiencing food the North County, but were shocked at the poverty, which is very sad in this country, in extent of the increase in requests for their this day and age. We’ve gone from such a high, to the lowest point. People are no services over the past 12 months. Denis Barry, President of St Finian’s longer able to manage, and it’s Conference in Swords, told this newspaper, impacting working families, as well “The demands on our services this year, are as people on social welfare, who definitely higher than last year. I reckon don’t know where to turn. Married that we are 40 per cent up on last year, couples are now put to the pin of which was 38 per cent higher that the their collars to survive. When prop-
Rotary Club of Dublin Fingal were out last Thursday at Swords Pavilions collecting for local St. Vincent de Paul. The club changes the money collected to shopping vouchers and then passes them on to St. Vincent de Paul to distribute to their clients. Pictured at the collection are Michael Eustace and Dave Murray
previous year. There is no doubt that things are getting worse, as the recession is really starting to bite,” he said. “Thankfully, our income seems to be holding up, despite everything. People look upon the St Vincent de Paul as the local help and anything that comes into the parish, is spent locally, which supports local jobs.” When asked if there was a different class of people now seeking help, Barry was very definite. “Over the last couple of years, many people who would have been dona-
erty taxes and water charges are put into the equation, I don’t know how these people can survive. It’s steadily getting worse and the type of people we are calling on has changed,” he said. Barbara McDonnell of St Sylvester’s Conference in Malahide, which also includes Ballymun, spoke about the changing trend in the type of people seeking help. “We are experiencing a more diverse problem
this year because of the recession, with people losing their jobs, which is a relatively new trend, as opposed to when I joined the organisation some years ago. We have helped some people, who without our intervention, would not have been able to cope with school books, heating and food. We believe strongly in making sure that school needs are attended to, as we feel that education is the way out of poverty for many people,” she said. The inability of people to pay utility bills and education fees, as well as the failure to heat homes, due to a number of reasons, or the loss of a business for unemployed people, are seen as factors that have taken their toll on families in the North County and beyond.