Cairde helps promote healthier lives in the west

The Western Investing for Health (WIFH) Partnership, supported by the Public Health Agency (PHA), has welcomed “Cairde” in Strabane as its newest member.

Cairde joins 29 other organisations from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors working to promote ‘healthier, happier, longer lives for all’ and to ‘inspire and lead people to work together for positive living’. These include local councils, healthy living centres, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Omagh Chamber of Commerce and the Caw/Nelson Drive Action Group.

Jarlath McNulty, Project Co-ordinator, is Cairde’s representative on the Partnership. Cairde is a Community based organisation set up in 1997 to support the special needs of the ex-prisoners community within the Strabane District Council area. One of their flagship initiatives, funded by the PHA, has been the development of a community based allotment, to address the health needs of the local community and support the regeneration of the local area.

Describing the importance of Cairde’s membership, Brendan Bonner, PHA head of health and social wellbeing improvement (west), said: “Having input from the community sector into the health improvement agenda brings an added dimension to our planning process. It’s important to hear the views of all stakeholders but also provides an opportunity to promote an understanding of the wider issues that affect health inequalities.

“Jarlath brings a range of skills that will help the WIFH address issues such engagement of difficult to reach groups, experience in local government and social enterprise. WIFH also hope that membership of the partnership will provide Jarlath with new skills and knowledge that he can use in his professional life."
 
Jarlath McNulty added: “Participation in the WIFH is a great opportunity for Cairde to help develop and shape the evolving health needs of our wider community. It gives a voice to many from within our community who would otherwise not be heard”.