Let us all be lifted up by Spring’s change in conditions

AFTER quite frankly dismal weather in recent months, it was heartening to see some true Spring conditions come just in time for Easter. It certainly didn’t go to waste in Fermanagh!

The Easter holidays have provided a time for people, young and old, to meet and reconnect after what has been, for so many, a long, hard winter.

Dark days, cost-of-living worries and local employment fears have fed into a mood of melancholy within the community. At times it felt that the darkness would never end.

But lo and behold, we are now enjoying the bright sun, freshly emerging daffodils, and the soft bleat of newborn lambs skipping in the fields.

The coming of Spring has once again proven that brighter times are always ahead.

This is as true for people as it is for the seasons.

For the likes of Shelley Cowan, who is featured on Page Three, scaling Culicagh Mountain was once but a dream.

But the brave Tamlaght woman, who was bedridden for 12 years due to myalgic encephalomyelitis, proved that there are always brighter times to look forward to, whatever the circumstances.

Locally, many are hoping that ethos of brighter times will be felt elsewhere; namely, the hundreds of BT employees who are still fearing for the future.

The closing of a Voluntary Paid Leaver (VPL) scheme marked the next uneasy chapter in what has been an ongoing saga of worry for local workers.

One described the atmosphere of “sadness” within the local call centre, where employees feel they have been left not knowing where they will be this time next year.

For these workers, we can only hope that these dark times will be followed by something much brighter.

Indeed, hope is a theme that is especially pertinent at this time of year.

Just as a farmer works his flock in the hope of plentiful lambs come Spring, people fight against adversity day and daily in the hope of a better tomorrow.

While there is much to be worried about at present, as the sun shines and lambs bleat, let us all hope that brighter times are just around the corner.

And remember, the famous friendly nature of Fermanagh and our neighbouring counties means there’s always a helping hand and a warm welcome, for anything that life throws at you – and at us all.