Enable Ireland Appeals for Support To Raise Funds for New East Cork Hub

Enable Ireland service owners, family members, staff and stakeholders gathered in Midleton, Co Cork recently to launch a fundraising campaign for a new Adult Services Hub called Mill View.
The charity, a disability services provider, purchased a property on the Cork Road in Midleton and following confirmation of planning permission from Cork County Council work began earlier this year to redevelop and modernise the bungalow.
The new development will include modernisation of the existing building and the addition of purpose-built accessible features for individuals with disabilities including two fully adapted personal care rooms, a sensory room, therapy room, computer room, adapted kitchen and outdoor area.
Enable Ireland CEO John O’Sullivan said, “The new hub will be a specialised, community-based day centre for individuals with physical, sensory, or intellectual disabilities and will focus on promoting independence, community inclusion, and personal goal achievement. This development aligns with the government’s ‘New Directions’ programme which moves away from traditional centre-based care towards personalised, community-included supports.”
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley, who also attended the launch said, "This new Adult Services Hub represents a transformative step for the people of Midleton, a place where people of all abilities can learn, grow, and feel at home. This new development in Midleton shows what we can achieve when organisations from across Cork work together." East Cork councillor Ann – Marie Ahern was also in attendance at the launch.
Speaking at the event which was held at the Talbot Midleton Hotel, 23-year old local man and Hub Representative Jack Macfarlane, said “On behalf of the group of us who will be attending services in the hub, I am delighted at the number of people who have turned out to show their support. All of us who live in the East Cork area are delighted that our commute time has been reduced enabling us to spend longer doing the things we like such as music, art, computer training and outings from the new Mill View Hub”.
Enable Ireland Head of Service, South and West, Gillian Darrer said, “Enable Ireland is very grateful for the public support for the development of this much needed adult day services hub in Midleton.  Receiving day supports in local towns is such an important part of ensuring that each and every adult using our services has the chance to participate in the life of their local community.  This new development represents an exciting opportunity for the adults in Enable Ireland to benefit from being part of the welcoming and vibrant community of Midleton.”
The goal is for this to be an A-rated building. Some funding to cover sustainable elements of the project have been secured through SE System’s Community Fund and EirGrid’s Interconnector Community Benefit Fund. “EirGrid is proud to support the vital work being delivered by Enable Ireland through the Celtic Interconnector Community Benefit Fund. The Mill View Hub in Midleton, County Cork will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of so many, and we wish the Enable Ireland team every success as they deliver this important and inspiring project,” commented Michelle Walsh, Celtic Community Liaison Officer, EirGrid.
 
Including the purchase costs of the property, the overall project cost is just over €2 million. However, a funding shortfall of €330,000 remains. The charity is appealing to companies to nominate Enable Ireland as its charity partner or to consider this project for fundraising events or campaigns.
Enable Ireland’s Lead Volunteer, stalwart Anne Hegarty said, “As someone who has volunteered with Enable Ireland for over thirty years, I am so proud of the work that continues to be done to support people with disabilities. The people of Cork have been so good to us and we hope that individuals and the business community row in with their help for this special project as they’ve always done down through the years.”
Once the project is completed, the building will have capacity for around twenty adults from the North and East Cork area. Individuals attending the hub, like Jack Macfarlane, will benefit from tailored supports, such as training, education, social activities, and personal development, guided by person-centred planning frameworks. Enable Ireland currently operates three Cork hubs located in Ballincollig, Ballintemple and Carrigaline. It also provides vital respite services for adults from Ard Na Mara House in Ladysbridge.

You can support Enable Ireland’s Mill View Hub by visiting https://enableireland.ie/millview or by contacting Regional Fundraising Manager Maria Desmond on 087 7905029.

Enable Ireland is a national voluntary organisation working on behalf of the state to provide vital disability services to over 13,000 children and 400 adults with complex disabilities. Families avail of clinical and support services, such as much needed respite and residential care, across 40 locations in Ireland.
Enable Ireland has provided disability services in Cork for 70 years. They are the lead agency for three Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNT’s) at the Lavanagh Centre in Curraheen. These teams provide supports and services for children, young people and their families from birth to 18 years with complex disabilities. Services and supports provided to children and families include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language, psychology and social work along with hydrotherapy from its purpose-built pool. Enable Ireland also provides respite services to children and young people from Lavanagh House on its site in Curraheen.