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Swords Butchers A Cut Above Butchers at well known Swords supermarket, JCs recently decided to bare all for a charity calendar in order to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation, and have reached their set target of €20,000. The calendar, called ‘Butchers in the Buff’ was launched late last year and 14 cheeky participants decided to show more beef than usual, all for a great cause. The Make a Wish Foundation Ireland grants the wishes of children aged between three and 17 years living with life-threatening medical conditions. All the funds raised will be put to good use thanks to the special efforts of the butchers and those who bought the calendar. The concept was the brainchild of butcher, Brendan Collins, who told the County Leader that his wife Seppi suggested that they do something in the same vein as “Calendar Girls,” and so the idea was born. The sale of the calendars is now finished, and speaking to the County Leader,
MD of JC’s, Michael Savage says they are delighted with the result: “We just want to say thank you so much to all our generous customers for being so supportive. We were thrilled to reach our target, and so happy that we could help Make a Wish, which is a wonderful cause.” Michael also gave a special mention to Brendan for thinking of the concept, which he says he was glad was received in such a humorous manner. Susan O’Dwyer, Chief Executive Make-A-Wish Ireland eagerly praised the butchers, and indeed the supermarket for all their hard work: “The calendar has been a huge success and a wonderful initiative,” she said. “We are grateful to JC Savages butchers for their support and dedication in reaching their target. We already have over 150 eligible wishes to grant in 2014 and rely on support such as this to help us grant the wishes of children living with life-threatening medical conditions.”
28th January 2014 • Volume 21, Issue 03 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie
Still Hope For Balbriggan Library
We Spe Exclusiv ak e Acting C ly To o Manage unty r, P Caulfiel eter d
In an exclusive interview with the County Leader, Acting County Manager, Peter Caulfield provided some hope that the proposed moving of Balbriggan Library to Gallen Mills, may not happen after all. He confirmed that a special meeting of the Balbriggan/Swords Area committee will convene this week, and discuss the options on the future of the library. Caulfield stated that there are two options up for consideration. “The first is that the original decision to relocate the library to Gallen Mills remains in place. The second one is to see, in consultation with the Office of Public Works (OPW), if an alternative arrangement that be made that would see the Intreo office going to Gallen Mills, instead of the library and if it is deemed acceptable.” He continued, “Firstly I’m proposing that we have a full discussion around this subject on a single item agenda at a specially convened Swords/Balbriggan Area committee meeting, which will take place on Wednesday the 29th. By that stage, I will have exhausted all the options that are available to us in terms of resolving the problem. I will listen to the submissions from the committee members, and I will also be talking to the Town Council in connection with it. Having heard the views of both, a recommendation will go to the elected members at
By Patrick Finnegan a full council meeting, which will take place on the 10th February next.” “If our deliberations are concluded and nothing new emerges in terms of possibilities, the two options, currently under considerations will be placed before them for decision. There is urgency associated with the delivery of the Intreo building. As a result, this issue will be resolved in the next few weeks,” he confirmed. In a frank interview, the manager stressed the importance of the Intreo building to the town of Balbriggan, and blamed lack of information for the confusion caused. “We shouldn’t lose sight of what the new Intreo office will bring to Balbriggan. It will provide a much needed single point of contact for streamlined, practical, tailored employment services for the many jobseekers in the town,” he said. “We are confident that a proposal can be developed that takes into account the issues being raised, while still accommodating these additional resources to assist people in Balbriggan finding employment.” “The County Council has a responsibility to all of the citizens in the area, including Balbriggan. The
Great News For North County Ambulance Service The news that a new HSE which I, and local Fianna Fail Ambulance base is to be built members conducted, to look at Lissenhall in Swords, with a for a more complete ambusecond full time ambulance, is lance service for the North seen as a major boost for the County. I met with staff there, who were working a full ambulance service in ambulance service, the North County. The with limited resources. new second ambulance It means that there will will see an additional now be two 24 hour eight extra ambulance ambulances, along with crew, employed at the a the new base. This is base. Local senator, badly needed because Darragh O’Brien (FF) Senator O’Brien of the huge area that contacted the County Leader and confirmed the needs to be covered.” O’Brien good news. He said, “This said that a second full time development comes as a ambulance will also have a follow-on from a campaign, beneficial effect on staff at
Lissenhall. “The existing staff, for whom I have the utmost respect, have had to endure sub-standard conditions, so this will make a huge difference to them, as well as the local community. People were horrified when they realised the lack of proper ambulance facilities in the area. I am delighted to have been able to help in any way. The people of the North County deserve this type of service, and I commend all of the ambulance staff at Lissenhall for their great work,” concluded O’Brien. The eight new ambulance staff will relocate from the St James’s Hospital ambulance base and work on the new base is expected to commence in April.
Acting County Manager, Peter Caulfield.
population of the town is about 20,000, with about 4,000 people in the area unemployed. In the past, people who were unemployed went to the Social Welfare Office to get paid. The Intreo office serves as, not just a payment service, but is a full suite of guidance and direction in how to find a job. The approach is totally different to how it was in the past. There is provision for client profiling, where people identify who would fit what job. All of the engagement with unemployed people will be by appointment, as it should be. It’s not about people queuing up as used to be the case.” “This service is widely available in many towns in Ireland and is welcomed by all, on the basis that it is a priority to see people getting back to work as quickly as possible. It’s a social contract between the unemployed person and the State, and that’s what an Intreo office is all about. The existing offices, because of their traditional role, wouldn’t have the facilities or the suitability to deal with what is now being put in place.” he explained. Caulfield was well aware of the upset caused by the proposal to move the library, but he was also mindful of the unemployed people in the town. “There has been quite an amount of opposition to the moving of the library, and I suppose when you see petitions with 250 names on them, you feel that this is a large level of objection. In some respects, we have to give voice to the other group in the town, the 4,000 unemployed people, which puts everything in context,” he said. “In view of the opposition, and being respectful of the position of the library and Carnegie’s links to it, I undertook to examine other options in relation to the proposals, so that the elected members could make an informed decision about it. It’s very important that it should be informed and that’s my role to inform them fully. I think it’s incumbent on everyone here to come up with a solution that works for the people of Balbriggan and takes account of the different needs that are there,” he said
The OPW will have to do their own assessment, and they have the decision on whether Gallen Mills is a suitable location for them. “If the library stays in place, there is still a lot of space in the Town Hall. It would not be the primary Intreo building. Part of that arrangement would be the commitment that space in the Town Hall would be made available in perpetuity to the people of Balbriggan,” he concluded. Meanwhile, the townspeople of Balbriggan are still smarting at the prospect of losing their library. Balbriggan Ward election candidate, Cathal Boland (NP) said, “Despite the mood of optimism, that the battle to retain the library on the Square in Balbriggan has been won, the war may still be on. I am calling on the County Manager to give an undertaking that the Library will remain on the Square.” “It is rumoured that both the Chamber of Commerce and the Town Council were aware and knew about the proposed move, some time before the news was made public. If that is the case, I question whose interest these people were serving. The Square was designed as a civic space, which people would use throughout the day, not just between the opening hours of a Social Welfare Office. It may appear to be good for business owners, but it certainly is not good for the town,” he concluded.
Grow Your Business See page 16