Young helpers
LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN AT THE HEART OF TRANSFORMING THEIR AREA OF ENNISCORTHY
Colm McAree and Sandra Walsh (WLD) with children of Bridge Meadows planting sunflower seeds.
THE Bridge Meadows estate in Enniscorthy is now one of the most picturesque localities in the town and local children living in the area have been at the heart of its transformation.
One resident, Colm McAree, spoke to this newspaper at a planting event that took place in the estate last week.
While other residents in the area are very quick to acknowledge his role in enhancing the estate Mr McAree said the children of the area are the ones who really deserve praise.
Mahmoud, Mohmed and Esraa Sallam are three Egyptian Irish children living there and Mr McAree said they have done incredible work.
Along with their dad, Fathy, they spoke to this newspaper about the work that is going on.
‘We are planting flowers here today,’ said Mahmoud (9), who is a twin of Mohmed.
Pupils in St Aidan’s Parish School are among a group of international children in the estate who are all as proud of being Irish as they are of their parents’ respective native countries.
When we visited we met children from Ireland, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Lithuania and Egypt.
Being an avid soccer fan, and by all accounts a very good player, it’s perhaps no surprise that Mahmoud’s favourite player is Mohamed (Mo) Salah.
‘We planted trees here and we also did the garden,’ he said, referring to a very ornate garden feature adjacent to a lovely grassy area in the centre of the estate.
‘We dig and plant and Colm buys flowers and then we water them,’ he said.
Fathy and his family have been living in the estate for three years although he has been working and living in Enniscorthy for 14 years.
‘ The people who live here do the work,’ he said.
He and his wife also have another daughter, Asmaa (14), and he said there is a great community spirit in the area.
Mr McAree, who has lived in the estate for 10 years, also emphasised the community spirit that permeates the area and said everyone gets involved.
Sandra Walsh, from Wexford Local Development ( WLD), was also present at the planting event and spoke to this newspaper about the work going on in the estate.
Her organisation, along with Wexford LCDC (Local Community Development Committee), is involved in initiating a SICAP (Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme) scheme in the area.
‘It’s about community engagement and building group community related programmes,’ she said.
‘It’s all about developing community spirit and getting people involved in working on their own estates and also being environmentally aware,’ added Ms Walsh, who is a community worker with WLD.
‘People embrace that through programmes like this.’
The pots being used by the children to plant their new flowers were biodegradable and Ms Walsh said that for everyone involved it’s a fun project to be part of.
She praised the children for their enthusiasm and dedication to help make their area a better place to live.