REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE CHALETS FOR SEMI INDEPENDENT LIVING
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE CHALETS FOR SEMI INDEPENDENT LIVING AT ST PATRICK’S CHESHIRE HOME
Tá lucháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu, agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl díbh don fáilte a raibh fíor, fairsing agus flaithiúil.
I am delighted to join you on this wonderful occasion to celebrate the opening of the chalets for supported living at St. Patricks Cheshire Home. I am very proud to be here as Patron of this remarkable Foundation as you mark these important and hard-earned milestones.
Fifty years ago when Captain Leonard Cheshire started this much-needed Foundation he based it on a simple yet fundamental principle that every individual regardless of illness or disability should be cherished and valued and given the means to develop to their full potential. His vision of providing a home, a place of comfort, for residents where they would participate fully in shaping their own future, remains at the heart of the modern Cheshire Home philosophy.
Half a century later you can look with pride at the achievements of the Foundation which has been and remains truly a radical pioneer in providing services and assistance for people with physical disabilities in this country and indeed throughout the world. Today it is truly an international organisation with 260 homes in 51 countries, fourteen of which are located here in Ireland. The Cheshire Foundation has grown step by step, driven by the energy, commitment and generosity of many very fine people and it continues to develop to meet the needs of those in their care into the new millennium. May I take this opportunity to congratulate Cheshire Ireland’s CEO, Mr. Mark Blakeknox, on his twentieth year of service with the Foundation. Your support and guidance of this wonderful Foundation is greatly appreciated by staff, residents and their loved ones. Long may you continue to lead this Foundation in the years ahead.
I would like to congratulate all those associated with this wonderful new initiative at St. Patrick’s. In a new century, in a world that seems to be forever moving, forever changing you have struck a chord that lies constant within each heart, the desire to find a space for ourselves, a place where we can feel at ease, feel valued and at peace, a place we can call home.
These new chalets are more that just shelter, mere bricks and mortar, for their new residents. For many they are a dream come true because they will give each new resident a degree of real control over their everyday lives. Residents will enjoy the independence of having their own space while at the same time being able to avail of the assistance and services of the Home. I am sure the connecting passageway will be much appreciated by staff and residents alike, particularly on chilly winter days when you won’t have to venture in to the open to visit each other.
I have just had the opportunity to view some of the new homes and I am most impressed by the care and attention to detail with which they have been developed. These chalets will be home for eight new residents, each has been designed and furnished and decorated to their individual requirements. Here with your help and support the new residents will put down fresh roots and with your continued support they will be able to live their lives with dignity and independence. No-one confers dignity on another human being. That is God given. It is an entitlement. But sometimes life conspires to make independence difficult for those who suffer from disability. You know better than anyone how precious is that gift of independence, how much courage and generosity it takes from you to accept the limits placed on your lives and yet to strive for horizons which stretch you and make great demands of you. We are privileged at the moment to see our disabled athletes and the disabled athletes from around the world in action at the Sydney Paralympics. You are well placed to understand profoundly their courage, their sheer tenacity, their bravery. In every way they have earned our respect and admiration, just as you have too in what has been accomplished and what is anticipated here.
I know that today’s celebration is tinged with sadness for you. I would like to extend my sincerest sympathies to you on the recent death of Mr. John McCabe who was one of the new residents of the chalets. It is sad that he was unable to enjoy the full benefits of his new home for very long but I am sure your love and support to him brought great happiness to his life here. I hope the time he had here was a particular comfort to those who loved him dearly.
I would like to congratulate every single person whose effort, whether big or small, contributed to this day: to the Management Committee and the South Eastern Health Board whose assistance, both practical and financial, helped towards the successful completion of this project. May I thank the marvellous, dedicated staff of the Home who commit themselves day in and day out to making this a place of welcome and contentment. On a day like this it is so important to tell you how deeply your work and your care is appreciated.
I wish all the residents, present and future, every happiness peace and fulfilment in your new homes. May the memories which gather and grow in these new homes be happy memories: may those happy memories start with this special day.
I am delighted to declare the chalets for supported living officially open.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go leir.