Supporting Errigal Truagh Centre for adults with special needs

The lives of adults with physical/intellectual disabilities and their families in a County Monaghan village have been transformed through the help of National Lottery Funding for Good Causes with the development of the Errigal Truagh Centre.

Today 14 service users from the age of 18 to late 70’s attend the beautiful purpose-built Emyvale centre daily and avail of a wide range of educational, therapeutic and recreational services.

“It has been a labour of love,” explains manager and founder member Bernie McKenna.

Errigal Truagh Special Needs came to be in 2001 when a group of parents and family members of adults with physical/intellectual disabilities in the Parish of Truagh came together to set up a social club.

 

“We very quickly realised that there was a number of adults who were not availing of any day service and were at home all the time. We needed something more than a social club and it grew from there.”

                                                                                                            - Bernie McKenna, Manager - Errigal Truagh Centre

 

With creating a ‘Home from Home’ ethos at its core, the group turned for help to the people of Emyvale and the wider North Monaghan area. “We live in a fantastic community. People were so supportive. Someone would have a birthday party and instead of presents, donations would come to the centre. Walks, marathons, dances, you name it they did it and donated the proceeds.”

Their first purchase was a bus to enable the users to go to activities such as swimming and road bowling.

Last year, Errigal Truagh moved into its very own new centre, on an acre of land, which has enhanced the experience of existing service users and afforded access to other adults.

And thanks to a €21,000 grant from National Lottery funding for Good Causes funding, a new, fully equipped, multi-sensory room at the centre, for children and adults with autism, will open in August 2017.