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SCORES of young Clare adults with Down Syndrome are being denied the chance to fulfil their potential because of the lack of sheltered ac- commodation in the county. According to the Clare Branch of Downs Syndrome Ireland, the pos- sibility for young Clare people to avail of sheltered accommodation is severely limited, with only respite accommodation available.

Pat Hannon is from Sixmilebridge and his 21 year old daughter Orla would avail of sheltered accommo- dation if some were available.

“Orla is older now and we are think- ing about sheltered accommodation but there is little or no sheltered ac- commodation in Clare,” he said.

“It’s next to impossible to get any sheltered accommodation for adults in Clare. The only way you might get it is if you simply were not able to cope at home. But regarding some-

one having a choice to live in shel- tered accommodation, it 1s non-ex- istent.”

According to Margaret Dixon, Sec- retary of the Clare Branch of Downs Syndrome Ireland, there are many Clare people in the same position as Orla.

‘There are a lot of adults in Clare who are in and around Orla’s age who would jump at the chance at sheltered accommodation,” she said.

“IT would say that we would have a

least 20 young people ready to take up houses tomorrow if it was avail- able.”

Orla is currently living at home and training for work with the National Learning Network in Limerick. The work options available to Clare peo- ple with Downs Syndrome will be curtailed in May when the Shan- non Community Workshop will be closed, with the loss of 27 supported employment positions.

“I’d love to live in a house with a few different people. I’d miss living at home but it would be really great to be able to live in a house,” said Orla.

“Tm now in training in Limerick, so I can get a job. I’d like to get a job in a book shop. I had a job once before working in the library in Lim- erick. I’m really looking forward to getting a job and having some money of my own.”

Finding employment locally for someone with Downs Syndrome can be difficult.

“Work is very difficult, it’s not easy to get someone to take on someone with Downs Syndrome,” continued Orla’s father Pat.

“The National Learning Network in Limerick helps a lot, they have helped Orla get placement in jobs Where she can get some experience. But it’s not easy to find.”

THE Department of Education has dashed the hopes of over 250 fami- lies around Ennis this week by re- fusing to confirm whether Barefield National School has been given the approval to begin work on its long- awaited extension.

The school first put in a bid for funding in 2000 and for the past eight years both management and local families, under the guidance of the Building for the Future com- mittee, initiated fundraising events

which helped raise €31,500 – the re- quired local contribution.

In 2002, John Carr, the General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation agreed that the “school accommodation was se- riously substandard”’.

The department agreed to the ex- tension. Almost €250,000 has al- ready been spent planning the build- ing, which would include eight class rooms, a library, a general purpose room, five special education rooms, improved heating system, staff fa- cilities and playground.

When Minister Mary MHanafin made her selection in 2005, Barefield topped the list of approved primary schools. The Minister stated that “These projects have been identi- fied as priority projects in areas where demand for school places are increasing or current facilities are deemed inadequate to cater for exist- ing needs.”

“It is vitally important that children and teaching staff in our schools have facilities which are suitable to their growing needs,” she said.

But according to the Barefield

Parent’s Council, with some classes housing up to 36 pupils, the needs of their children are not being met – and they will do everything in their power to ensure that the munister does not renege on her intention of including their school in the 2008 School Building Programme to be announced at Easter.

“The school cannot cope in its present form. We have done the plan- ning; the project should be funded as agreed,” said Maeve O’Regan, chair- person of the council.

Timmy Dooley TD (FF) visited the

school yesterday and agreed that re- development should get underway as soon as possible.

‘The current site at Barefield is ab- solutely inadequate for its needs and I will be putting a strong case forward to the department to try to expedite the development process,” he said.

Minister Tony Killeen has also vowed to lend his voice to the cam- Oe ea ne

“T will bring these concerns to the education minister and try to ensure that the project gets included in the Easter announcement,” he said.

YOUNG people interested in setting up youth clubs will receive support and guidance from the newly-ap- pointed youth club development worker in the Shannon region.

Pat Kerr has recently taken up the post, where he will work alongside youth worker Cathal Dillon, in the Shannon youth office at Rineanna MVETAWA

The

24-year-old’s appointment

came, after youth organisations in the region pointed to the need for ad- ditional support.

Mr Kerr, who hails from Belfast, has no shortage of experience in the area of youth work, having worked for short periods in both America and South Africa.

He will specifically work with the Drumgeely youth club, while he will also offer support to those interested in setting up or developing youth clubs in the Shannon region.

“IT will provide basic training around personal development, com- munication and leadership,’ he said.

“My job will also be to help with those who are looking to establish clubs, like Newmarket-on-Fergus, and to help with the running of other clubs,” said Mr Kerr.

“From what I see the job will fol- low on from the standards set up by Cathal (Dillon),” he said.

Mr Dillon was previously the only full-time worker in the Shannon of-

fice and this new post will see the number of hours available to young people in the area doubled.

“IT am working solely in Shannon, while Pat’s job will have two aspects – to work with new clubs and out and about as club development worker for the region,” said Mr Dillon.

OF THE 125,000 people living in dire poverty in the townships of Port Elizabeth, 60 per cent of them are being helped by a mission started under a tree by one Little Company of Mary nun from Clare.

Missionvale works through joined up thinking, with care workers go- ing out to visit the sick and picking up on other needs, like food or help with claiming a pension and bringing those cases to the food kitchens and the social worker.

In turn the social worker can alert the caregivers that a client of theirs is ill.

Each day, 750 families get a half a loaf and soup at the feeding station

and a further 1,250 families get a food parcel every week.

The clinic on site refers at least 60 new cases each day to Sr Ethel for help with other needs.

Families ‘adopted’ by Sr Ethel have their children’s school transport costs and fees paid as all schools charge fees in South Africa. The family is given two sets of clothing twice a year from clothing donations to Mis- sionvale.

Sr Ethel’s team also ensures that households headed by children where parents have died of AIDS, are fed, get to continue their schooling and are taught basic cooking and house- keeping skills.

The young adults who head these homes in turn help with the centre’s

programme for orphans and vulner- able children. (OVC)

More that 170 children are attend- ing the pre-primary school at any given time and 500 children are giv- en what may be their only meal every day by the OVC.

A total of 74 people have work in the centre’s gardens, craft and car- pentry centres as well as the school, caring and feeding programmes.

Running costs for the centre are €150,000 a year – a pittance in Irish terms but a stunning amount in a country where factory workers earn SOOM: (cle) @

Donations for Missionvale can be sent to Ethel Normoyle Account No: 40354101 Sort Code: 985680 Ulster Bank, Ennis.

THE proposed master plan for Shan- non lacks coherence, is flawed and does not cater for the completion of the town’s shopping mall at Sky- Sous

That’s according to management at SkyCourt, which has made a submis- sion on the proposed development to Clare County Council.

SkyCourt says that if the master plan is not amended, it could become redundant as a planning tool to guide developers, local authorities and the public.

The submission suggests that an integrated approach has not been taken in the preparation of the plan. It says that the master plan needs to acknowledge that SkyCourt repre- sents the existing core retail area of S)ervepeKeyee

The plan mainly focuses on lands which are located across the road from the town centre. SkyCourt says that these lands cannot be developed in isolation from the existing core of Shannon town.

SkyCourt says that there is still available land within the SkyCourt zone to accommodate further retail

floorspace. It argues that these lands should be prioritised for convenience and comparison shopping until they are exhausted, in order to consolidate development adjacent to the existing retail core area of Shannon Town – qi Golan

“SkyCourt is a phased redevelop- ment and it is not yet a completed project. The submission is concerned that the focus on completion of that sector should not be lost in the prep- aration of the master plan,” said a statement issued by SkyCourt man- agement.

SkyCourt’s submission also rejects the master plan proposal for a large retail anchor unit on the site across the road.

‘In the short to medium term this store can be accommodated within the existing SkyCourt area. The submission argues that this store is not required in the proposed loca- tion and should therefore be deleted from the framework plan,” added the Statement.

SkyCourt says it is pressing ahead with plans. Planning applications will be lodged within the next week for a larger Dunnes Stores and a Tes- co anchor store.

THE wider community in Shannon is, for the first time, being invited to attend an Arts and Heritage Festi- val, which is taking place at a local school next week.

St Patrick’s Comprehensive School will run its fourth annual festival on Monday and Tuesday (March 3 and ae

Viewed as one of the highlights of the school year, the event is antici- pated by staff and students.

It will range a wide variety of events and activities, which young people can engage in. This year’s itinerary includes copperwork, rap dancing, pottery, drumming, creative writing,

kickboxing, computer programming and film making.

The events will not be confined to indoors as there will also be an envi- ronmental walk, rock climbing and dolphin watching, over the two days.

Journalist Nell Mc Cafferty and environmentalist Dick Warner will once again return to the school for the festival and their contributions, in particular, should attract members of the wider community in Shannon.

Deputy principal Anne Lucey said the festival will be, once again, var- ere

‘The emphasis is on arts and her- itage, with guests from all walks of life, be it writers, artists, musicians or computer programmers,” said Ms

Biren

“Students will be able to get a feel for what it is like to be working in creative areas,’ she added.

She said the decision was taken this year, for the first time, to invite members of the community to attend the event.

“We decided this year to invite the adults. If the adults want to come in to a talk, we can facilitate that, if they ring the school in advance and book a place,’ she said.

“The adults would relate quite well to Nell McCafferty,” she added.

Students enjoyed the event over the past few years and this year should be no different, said Ms Lucey.

“We suspend the normal timetable

for the two days. The event is a great experience for everyone. We used to present a musical, but we felt that, with a musical you would have the top 10 stars. What about the other children?” she pointed out.

“We wanted to do something where every single person is involved,’ she added.

Not only do well-known guests at- tend the festival, but former pupils also turn out, to lend tips on their expertise in various areas.

Anyone interested in attending the school’s Arts and Heritage Festival next month should contact the school on 061 361428.

The cost for those who wish to at- tend is €5.

LIKE all grannies Ouma likes to spoil her grandson and give him some money for sweets. She is one of the few living in the townships of South Africa who has managed to get a government pension.

But in the case of 11 year old Veron, his granny’s kindness is literally kill- ing him. Veron is infected with the AIDS virus and the sweets are play- ing havoc with his blood counts.

Sr Ethel and her care workers are on one of their regular visits to his mother, Rochelle Grootboom.

Rochelle and two of her sisters are also HIV positive. A third has died from the virus.

“Rochelle had a CD4 (blood count) of 22 when we found her. A normal count 1s 500. She should have died’, says Nurse In Charge, Muriel Eskok.

Rochelle is concerned that Veron is getting wild and neglecting his schoolwork. Typical of an I1 year old, he doesn’t like medicine and is not taking his anti-viral medication . The stick-thin woman knows she is too week to force him. It’s too much for Rochelle, who breaks down in ReraN Ce

“lve known Rochelle since she was a little girl. She was one of the chil- dren who came to me when all I had was the loan of a tree to sit under’, says Sr Ethel.

Rochelle is just one of 120,000 people who live in the shantytown.

Every day, the five teams of trained careworkers visit about five clients rele ee

They have around 200 clients at any given time who need to be vis- ited twice a week. The workers dress wounds, check how medication 1s go- ing, treat hypertension, wash out peo- ple mouths — oral thrush and TB are two common diseases among people with the virus — and clean houses when the clients are too sick.

The house where Rochell, her mother, son and her mother’s part- ner live is made of thin wood and measures no more than 18 feet by 30 feet. There are four tiny rooms, no bathroom and they cook on a primus stove. Some shacks are much worse than this one, which is painted and Ore

Township people are often in de- nial about the possibility of having AIDS. “If they are tested early and get the antiviral drugs, they can live for maybe ten or twelve years. If they come late, about two years’, says Muriel.

Six in ten people are infected with the virus. Sr Ethel dosn’t like speak- ing about numbers. “One mother dy- ing of AIDS is too many”, she says.

Rape is common in the townships, based on the myth that having sex with a virgin is a cure. Sr Ethel tells the story of a nine-year old girl who was raped by her uncle. The child be- OF Weslo NNKerelKerO mrs NeLOMONoem

It is the culture than men are disin-

clined to use condoms, thinking it a slur on their masculinity or the faith- fullness of their partners.

The testament that the virus is

decimating the poor is in the cleared spaces where the shacks of AIDS victims have been burned and in the rows of fresh graves which stand in

the shadown of a large cross on the javeeR

The cross bears the inscription, ‘“Ethel’s People.”

AIR passengers at Shannon Airport breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as they dodged industrial action on two fronts.

As late as Sunday evening passen- gers faced disruption involving both Aer Lingus and air traffic control- Suse

Just yesterday air traffic controllers called off a planned 24-hour strike for Thursday.

The strike would have affected flights into and out of all Irish air- ports including Shannon, and all flights through Irish air space.

The dispute erupted over claims by

air traffic controllers that they were short staffed.

Their employers – the Irish Aviation Authority – maintained, however, that the industrial action related to claims for an increase in payment for overtime.

The air traffic controllers called off the industrial action yesterday (Mon- day) following talks at the Labour Coliian

The workers have also suspended their official overtime ban that was due to take effect from tomorrow.

Meanwhile threats of industrial ac- tion at Aer Lingus yesterday (Mon- day) was averted at the eleventh hour as management and the union SIPTU

reached agreement on a package of cost cutting reforms and work prac- tices. Following almost 34 hours of continuous talks Aer Lingus Chief Executive Dermot Mannion said, “We have agreement on the imple- mentation of productivity and cost cutting measures with SIPTU and we await the outcome of their inter- nal ballot process. Nothing will be implemented until the ballot 1s com- pleted.”

SIPTU National Industrial Secre- tary Gerry McCormack said agree- ment had been reached subject to a ballot of members.

“We accept there has been genuine commitment by both sides to reach

an agreement and the process has protected SIPTU members’ interests and also prevented disruption to Aer Lingus passengers,” he said.

Aer Lingus had threatened to sus- pend staff if they failed to cooperate with new work practices it planned to introduce yesterday morning without union agreement.

SIPTU will spend the next week consulting with members to explain the deal to them. It 1s expected the consultation process and the ballot will take two weeks. It 1s believed that €7.5million of the cost saving package will be generated in Dub- lin, with around €2.5 million being saved on the Shannon operation.

CHILDREN attending the gaels- coil in Shannon were given the chance to enjoy a personal tour of their local garda and fire stations last week!

Twenty-one infants from Gaels- coil Donncha Rua, accompanied by their teacher Aisling Harnett and one of their parents Geraldine Hickey, were given guided tours of both venues.

Their school principal Eamonn

Bromell decided to request the visits, amid enthusiasm among the youngsters, who were keen to learn how both services operated.

Their first port of call was the fire Station, where Richie Sunderland gave them a tour of the building and a close-up look at the fire engines.

This tour lived up to the eager childrens’ expectations and they then took in the garda station.

Garda Sean O Murcht – himself a Gaeilgeoir – gave a guided tour, as Gaeilge. One of the highlights of

that visit was their trip to the hold- ing cell at the station – the young- sters compared it to a prison cell and expressed hope that they would never get to experience a real cell in the future!

Mr Bromell said the initiative was an unforgettable experience and benefited the young children im- mensely.

“It was good for them to see dif- ferent people working in the com- munity. School is one service, the fire service 1s another, while the

gardai also provide a Service,” said Mr Bromell.

The trips formed part of an overall project and the youngsters recalled the afternoon’s excitement when they wrote of their experience.

The extra-curricular activities are sure to continue over the next term as Mr Bromell’s next plan is to bring a mobile pet farm to the school.

This 1s poised to create much ex- citement for the children, who will be able to show care for the animals on the farm.

HAVE you ever heard of Motown’? No, nothing to do with soul music, but a nickname given by a PR man to the area around the start of the Naas Road in Dublin which is proliferated by car companies.

The first car importer you hit when you make your way to ‘Motown’ from Dublin city centre is the Gowan Group. Recently I tested Citroen’s first SUV, the C-Crosser, now it’s the turn of Peugeot, the other company in the Gowan Group, to eventually get in on the SUV act with their new mL UrE

The 4007 is built on the same plat- form as Citroen’s C-Crosser and Mitsubishi’s Outlander. So it’s a tough call to make and ultimately it will come down to the brand you are loyal to. The entry price for the Peu- geot and Citroen is similar, while the Outlander is slightly cheaper.

I drove a black 4007 and I must say it looked very impressive. The front headlamps would do any sports car justice and the two silver roof rails definitely do add to the SUV effect.

Women are supposed to wear black to make them look slim; indeed I’ve known a few men to opt for black for similar reasons. But there is no need to try and make the 4007 look slim as it’s very neat especially the rear end. The only place you will see any colour other than black in the 4007 is the rear door, where there is a nice

touch of chrome as you open it. To be fair there 1S also a touch of chrome inside.

Like all SUVs, the 4007 is very There are no problems with any pil-

high and the seating position gives you an excellent view of the road.

lars to hide your view and overall I think it makes for very safe driving.

In the cabin everything is well laid out and decent size knobs are provid- ed for the radio. The back seat could hold three well built adults, whether they are wearing black or not.

I won’t say that the diesel was very noisy, but there is no doubt you will know straight away that it is a diesel. In some other diesels I have driven recently you would have to double check to see if it was petrol or diesel they were so quiet.

But diesel is the new black as eve- rybody wants one to cut down on the COQ2 emissions and avail of the ben- efits of Mr Cowen’s recent budget. Therefore you might like to wait un- til July 1 for the best deals.

I drove the ST version which gives you an option of five or seven seats and goodies like cruise control and MP3 player. Like most SUVs if you opt for seven seats there is very little luggage space left. You can switch from two-wheel to four-wheel drive by means of a switch located near the gear lever. I didn’t get an opportunity to drive the 4007 off-road but it felt like it could handle any terrain.

Prices start at €40,200 for the 4007 five-seat SR model and go up to €47,395 for the top of the range seven seater. All are powered by a 2.2 litre diesel engines. Peugeot say they expect to sell between 150 to 200 units in Ireland this year.