THE new co-ordinator of Cara House is looking forward to a busy 2022 as she prepares for the opening of a new centre.

Martina McGinty has been appointed co-ordinator for Cara House Family Resource Centre in Letterkenny following the retirement of Susan McCauley.

Ms McGinty started on Tuesday but she is no stranger to the centre as she has worked as Administrator of Cara House for over 13 years. She paid tribute to the ‘trojan work’ which Susan McCauley carried out since the foundation of Cara House in 2004.

One of Ms McGinty’s main aims for 2022 is to progress with the centre’s new premises on Pearse Road.

“The first phase, the childcare centre, will be completed now in the coming months and this will give us more scope to accommodate more pre-school and after school children. We hope to supply childcare for two year olds and up for five hours a day because there is such a shortage of childcare facilities in the town.

“There is a lot of things going on at the Centre and it is a good time to be taking over.”

Cara House also has an adult centre which provides a drop-in room where people can call in for tea and a chat while the centre also provides training courses and classes. The majority of these services have been reduced due to Covid-19 restrictions but Ms McGinty is looking forward to getting a full timetable of programmes back up and running.

The centre has also received funding from Donegal ETB to set up a new study hub for adult learners.

Ms McGinty continued, “We have a really fantastic team at the centre and there will be a new childcare manager too. We have been lucky to have lovely tutors who provide a relaxed environment for people to learn in and that is what we are all about here,” said Ms McGinty.

It is hoped the centre will accommodate an increase in users. A brochure with all the new programmes will be released ahead of the summer.

Ms McGinty has encouraged anyone who would like to get involved in the centre to get in touch or call in.

“We want to provide courses and services which are suitable for everyone.  The centre is open to everyone so we hope to see an increase in people using our services,” said Ms McGinty.