·         Volunteers at the Welcome Centre, Donomon.

The Cathaoirleach read a statement of appreciation to acknowledge the work done by volunteers at the Welcome Centre in Donamon:

“On March 18th, Cuisle came to life when its rector, Father George Agger SVD (Society of the Divine Word), and the community agreed that they should open their doors to Ukrainian refugees.

Our sincere thanks to Father George and the Divine Word Missionaries for their generosity and kindness and for gifting the refugees a temporary home.

St Patrick’s weekend saw the centre reopen again through the support of an army of volunteers from the Community, the surrounding areas of Donomon, Roscommon County Council, Roscommon Leader Partnership, Roscommon Volunteer Centre, the Civil Defence locals who helped out, the Lions Club and many more who worked tirelessly to make the centre habitable within 24 hours, and on the evening of 19^th March, the first Ukrainian refugees were welcomed to Donomon.  This would not have been possible without the enormous support of all who came out to help over St. Patricks weekend. Today I would like to acknowledge all who came out to Donomon in those first days, the results of which can clearly be seen at the Centre where 70 refugees are situated and availing of wrap around services.

Many supports were required once the refugees were settled and Roscommon County Council sought the aid of Roscommon Volunteer Centre to address the needs of the refugees at the Centre.  The Volunteer Centre did not disappoint us and they physically moved their entire operation out to Donomon to provide the necessary supports such as serving of meals, providing transport to medical appointments, befriending service and house- keeping services.  Roscommon Volunteer Centre continued to provide this support for the next 11 weeks, spearheaded by Shannette Budhai, Manager, and supported by a large network of volunteers, who made themselves available through the volunteer centre.

As Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, I would like to formally acknowledge the work of all the Volunteers who supported the transformation of the Welcome Centre to a home for 70 Ukrainian Refugees and wish the Volunteer Centre every success with their further volunteering endeavours.”

The Chief Executive thanked the Cathaoirleach for appreciation of the volunteers and the paid tribute for the work done by Majella Hunt and Fiona Ni Chuinn since the arrival of the refugees who managed the centre and to the staff from the Council who went to supervise the centre on a rota basis.

The Members welcomed the appreciation of the volunteers and also thanked the Council staff for their work there since March. Shanette and a number of the volunteers have continued to assist at the centre since the management company took over and these people are now part of the community. Roscommon County Council staff solved many problems in relation to the centre and this is a huge ongoing job to house and support the refugees.

It was PROPOSED by Cllr. Leyden

and SECONDED by Cllr. Naughten that the Department should be requested to fund a fully functioning kitchen in the Centre as it is important that the residents can prepare their own meals that suits their dietary requirements.

Ms. Fiona Ni Chuinn, A/Director of Services informed the Members that the accommodation needs of the Ukrainian refugees is an ongoing process and that the use of the former Cuisle Centre has been a great success. The operation of the centre has now been passed to a Management Company while Roscommon County Council will be supporting wraparound services to the refugees. The pledged properties, a process initiated by the Irish Red Cross, has now become the responsibility of Roscommon County Council.

The Chief Executive added that the Executive of Roscommon County Council are working with Fr. George in relation to the centre.