Carrickfergus Community Forum thanked for ‘exceptional’ response to pandemic

Carrickfergus Community Forum’s support for vulnerable people during the coronavrius pandemic has received Mid and East Antrim Council recognition.
Janice Cherry, project co-ordinator (left), and Ann Mayne, voluntary director, with the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Peter Johnston.Janice Cherry, project co-ordinator (left), and Ann Mayne, voluntary director, with the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Peter Johnston.
Janice Cherry, project co-ordinator (left), and Ann Mayne, voluntary director, with the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr Peter Johnston.

The Mayor, Councillor Peter Johnston, visited the forum’s premises to present the voluntary board of directors with Exceptional Volunteer certificates.

In a statement, Carrickfergus Community Forum thanked council for the honour. It added: “Applications for funding were submitted to the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, Neighbourly Fund, NIHE Small Pockets of Deprivation Funds and Lottery Communities Fund to ensure that we could fully support the local community. Thanks to these funders we were able to provide meat parcels, groceries, activity packs, health and wellbeing packs.

“We received a number of requests through Facebook from people with family members in Carrickfergus that were in need of support. Due to them no longer living nearby we were able to provide assistance through essential grocery deliveries and telephone contact make sure they were looked after when no family was available close by. Referrals were made to Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership for a number of local residents in order to make sure they had the most support available to them.

“We are thankful also to Allied Bakeries Belfast who donated loaves of bread on a weekly basis enabling us to distribute them among our community through local community groups and the Carrickfergus Foodbank.

“Our voluntary board of directors are absolutely delighted therefore to have been presented with Exceptional Volunteer certificates by the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, in recognition of their efforts during the Covid 19 crisis.

“We are very thankful for the nomination.”

The board of directors of Carrickfergus Community Forum, which was established in 1997, is made up of representatives of 10 groups from across the borough.

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