Day Centre re-opening under new manager
After a lapse of more than 18 months Newport Day Centre will re-open again for clients on Monday next under new management.
However numbers attending will be curtailed under Covid-19 restrictions until there is further easing of the regulations, which it is hoped will be sooner rather than later.
To facilitate all their clients it is intended to restrict attendance for each to one day each week, while facilities and classes are to be reintroduced from next week.
The committee has also announced the appointment of a new manager of the centre, who has taken up duty at the centre in recent days.
UK-born, Emer Connors, who currently resides in North Cork said that she is looking forward to the challenge and hoping to welcome back many of those who pre-Covid-19 pandemic had been regular attenders at the centre.
Prior to her appointment to the centre, Ms Connors worked in contract management for a medical company.
“For the moment we will be restricting the number attending each day to between 12 and 16 clients who will be organised in pods and each client will be attending for one day each week,” she said.
Classes are being resumed, and physio facilities provided, while there will also be bingo for entertainment of the clients.
The centre, which has a staff of 12, is to continue providing the ‘Meals on Wheels’ service for up to 30 clients, Monday-Friday each week for the provision of lunches at a modest cost. The lunches are collected at the centre or delivered to their home whichever the client prefers.
Ms Connors said that the bus service is also being resumed for the collection and return of clients from their homes on the appointed days. In order to comply with the current Covid-19 compliance on transport, the number on the bus is being restricted to seven or eight clients.
Finbarr O’Shea, Chairman of Newport Day Centre Committee, said that they look forward to the re-opening after a very difficult period for everyone and welcome Ms Connors to management. “She has a lot of new ideas for the centre and we are looking forward to working with her to implement a number of them over the coming months,” he commented.
He also paid tribute to the excellent contribution of Carol O’Hora as Manager at the centre over recent years and wished her well on her decision to return to her career in the nursing profession.