The Sunflower Series
PART FOUR In the coming days we expect to see Ukrainian individuals and families arrive to those who have pledged to become hosts via the Irish Red Cross - and have been deemed suitable to do so.
This will see many more people who have had to flee Ukraine arrive in areas such as Fermoy, Mitchelstown and the surrounding area.
In relation to other regions in the country though, the overall number of Ukrainian people moving to this area has been comparatively low – for now. One of the main reasons for this is due to the shortage of accommodation settings, such as hotels or guesthouses, which could have been used.
With every passing day we hear of locations which may be used or repurposed in the area to host people fleeing Ukraine, but with no official confirmation it’s no more than heresay at this point. What is certain is that more people from Ukraine will come to live in our towns and villages.
And that’s why it’s so important to be ready to not just welcome them, but to ensure we have practical supports in place to assist them once they settle in.
Last Friday we tentatively opened the doors of our Fermoy Welcome Centre – in the Fermoy Forum offices of the Youth Centre by the River Blackwater in the town. For now, we’re finding our feet, gathering relevant information to share with those who need it, deciding what structure our welcome centre should take and establishing our website.
We’re so fortunate to have a wonderful group of volunteers, both Irish and Ukrainian, who are keen to work in the centre.
Eager to use the centre to bring people together, we plan to hold regular coffee mornings where people can come to meet others while also getting relevant practical information and help. The hope is that by the time more Ukrainian people move to the area we are ready to offer more assistance.
Already, we’ve been able to work on a number of fronts – advocating for and making queries in relation to local transport, job openings, English classes and in other areas also.
We are asking all clubs and societies in the Fermoy and Mitchelstown areas to contact us at Blackwaterukraine2022@ gmail.com if they have any specific initiatives or events lined up to welcome Ukrainian people to the area.
And we’re delighted to say that already employers locally have been contacting us to let us know about vacant positions which they feel could suit someone moving from Ukraine.
These job vacancy positions will be translated into Ukrainian and if someone who has moved here wishes to apply we can help by making that initial interview or setting up that initial conversation.
We have a dedicated telephone number which will be manned by a Ukrainian speaker at all times. It is (087) 705 7756 – please pass to any Ukrainians who may require support.
We’re so grateful to the wonderful team at Fermoy Print and Design for sponsoring our large sign which has been placed on the wall facing the river by Hanley’s shop in Fermoy. We are so grateful to Justin Hanley for allowing us to place the sign there and his kind support - and also to MJ O’Doherty contractors for hanging the sign for us.
A last shout out for now to the Synergy Credit Union in Fermoy for their help and of course to TheAvondhu newspaper for allowing us to run our weekly Sunflower series.
THE SANCTUARY RUNNERS
Our numbers are growing. On Saturday mornings at 10am people gather in the St. Colman’s pitch in Fermoy to walk, jog or run together. And we gather for a coffee afterwards. It’s all very relaxed.
We’re delighted to have many Ukrainian people who join us each week and are also eager to attract those of other nationalities who have moved to the area. We welcome everyone to join us – and we could especially do with more men! Everyone who comes along will get a blue Sanctuary Runners’ top to keep for no charge.
The Fermoy Sanctuary Runners’ group is the first of 50 such groups which will be set up in towns and communities across Ireland by the Sanctuary Runners over the next 18-months under our new ‘Side-by-Side’ programme. And already, some of those running in Fermoy have committed to taking part with the Sanctuary Runners on relay teams in the Cork City Marathon on June 5th.
See you on Saturday morning!