Ronald Hornby (Holder of the Guinness Book of Records “Oldest Best Man” category) with his wife Frances, Scheme Co-ordinator Mandy Graham and Canon David Skuce JPM6932
IT was an afternoon of smiles and sing-songs at Drumhaw Fold in Lisnaskea this week as residents, staff and friends gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the scheme. Last Thursday they came together to celebrate this landmark occasion and partied the afternoon away.
The longest residents at Drumhaw, Rosaleen Wray and Esther Flanagan, who have both lived there since 1994, were joined by Mandy Graham, scheme coordinator in cutting the celebratory cake. Also joining in the silver celebrations were the Fold’s two oldest tenants, Sarah Fee (99) and Ron Hornby (98).
Built in 1990, Drumhaw Fold has been offering secure one-bedroom apartment style accommodation for over 55s who want to live independently with the reassurance of 24 hour support. Located in the heart of Lisnaskea and with easy access to all the local amenities and public transport, it’s easy to see why the residents call it ‘a home from home’.
With a very active tenants association in place, there’s always plenty happening at Drumhaw. Their latest projects include embracing the old and new – learning more about their ancestry and getting to grips with the latest technology with the help of genealogy and Ipad classes, which are being funded by Fermanagh Council.
Bridie Doherty, North West area manager for Fold Housing Association, said: “ the fold is committed to providing homes where people can lead independent and fulfilling lives and services that suit their individual personal needs. There is no doubt that Drumhaw Fold has been a welcome presence in Lisnaskea since it opened and we want to continue forging good relationships within the local community.
“We are fortunate to have a very active tenants association who are involved in lots of events and activities to rasie funds for the scheme itself. We have 26 properties within this scheme and it is set in off the Main Street with well maintained gardens and carpark facilities for use by our tenants. The tenants have access to a greenhouse where they grow vegetables and flowers for use by all the tenants and have special ‘salad days’ to enjoy the fruits of their labour together!”
Local DUP councillor and vice-chairman of Omagh/Fermangh District Council, Cllr Paul Robinson is a regular visitor to the scheme and was thanked for his great help to two of the tenants – Louie Routledge and Carol Sommervile – whose accomodation was hit during the recent flooding in the area.
He said: “The flooding was a very anxious time for the residents with water coming in all around the place and we helped as much as we could with sandbags to prevent any serious damage. Thankfully, we have had confirmation from the Rivers Agency that they will replace the piping and Northern Ireland Water will be re-examing the sewerage sytem to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
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