Election runners support Trim centre

Seven of the election candidates in Meath West have signed a pledge committing their support to Trim Family Resource Centre and the Family Resource Programme over the lifetime of the 31st Dail. Trim Family Resource Centre hosted a briefing last week for election candidates outlining the Family Resource Programme and candidates were invited to sign a pledge committing their support to local resource centres. Susan Keenan, Project co-ordinator said the candidates who agreed to sign the pledge were Damien English, Catherine Yore and Ray Butler of Fine Gael, Johnny Brady and Shane Cassells of Fianna Fail, Fiona Irwin of the Green Party and Peadar Toibín of Sinn Fein, and that Jenny McHugh of Labour and Seamus McDonagh of the Workers Party also verbally committed their support. Ms Keenan said: "It is very heartening to see such a fantastic response from local candidates, and it confirms the value that people put on the important contribution of Family Resource Centres to their communities". The local initiative is part of a national awareness raising exercise being run across Ireland by all 107 Family Resource Centres. "Trim Family Resource Centre is a locally based family and community support project and is managed by people from the local community. We support and develop the capacity of families, individuals and communities fully achieve their potential and engage in their communities," said Ms Keenan. She added that the candidates were asked to support the continuation of the work of the Family Resource Centre in Trim and for their support for the community led/owned structure under which the national Family and Resource Centre Programme operates." "We are living in very challenging economic times, and we appreciate the huge pressures that will be on the next government, but we look forward to working with all politicians to ensure that families and communities are protected in the years ahead. We are as always grateful to our local community for their support. FRCs are rooted in the local community, and we are grateful to local people for making support for us a priority when they use their vote," said Ms Keenan.