St Hilda’s children’s respite house launched in Athlone

St Hilda's Services in Athlone has formally launched its new children's respite house in the Cornamagh area

Minister Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte officially launched the service by cutting the ribbon on Monday. According to the Fianna Fáil TD, over €6m has been invested in St Hilda's since 2021. Budget 2022 announced an excess of €13m for the build of over ten respite houses across the country.

"I am delighted to be here to officially open it today," said Minister Rabbitte. She also mentioned that St Hilda's had a strong reputation and had been providing services since 1964.

The respite house is the result of five years of community funding, by Friends of St Hilda’s Fundraising with all money raised being spent on the build and various facilities. Murray Construction were responsible for the build. The day to day running costs are funded by the HSE.

Building work on the project began in 2018. It consists of four bedrooms, one with overhead hoist, one en-suite of extra size and one shower room with trolley for non-ambulant individuals for comfort and ease. The house has an open plan kitchen and living room space exists for ease of access and fully equipped multi-sensory room, outdoor trampoline and birds nest swing.

The child-friendly environment also contains a large, serviced fish tank with changing lights which sits along the indoor wall and soft furnishings for homely comforts in open spaces.

In 2013, the board and families identified the need to address the lack of a dedicated infrastructure for children in Athlone. St Hilda’s then carried out research and consulted with families and childcare facilities and other similar services to provide the highest quality of service design.

CEO Sheila Buckley Byrne said: "Today is a day of thanks to our community in Athlone and surrounding area.”

She said the Children’s Respite House was built from public donations, church gate collections, fundraising by Transition Year students and by Midland Polish Community, Alkermes, Tesco Community Fund and many more small businesses in Athlone.

The service provides short breaks for families of children with autism and other complex needs. Ms Buckley Byrne said: "It is a fun break away for the child and the break gives families time to recharge the batteries.:

Respite Manager Clare Hyland Doyle said: "I can't put a price on the the house, the service and what it brings to families and their children. It's a lifeline for families and offers other siblings the opportunity to have exclusive time with their parents. Often, it's a chance for families to get a good night's sleep.”

Ms Hyland Doyle commented that the project didn't just happen. "It was demand led and the house was built for the community by the community."