Page 33 - Simon Bourke News Today

There was a discussion on the radio recently about the young people of today and whether they will be the first generation in decades to be worse off than their parents. Comparisons were made between now and the 1980s, the 70s, any era in which there were houses to live, and the general consensus was that to be aged 18-30 in the 2020s was to have pulled the shortest of straws.

After spending the majority of his teens and twenties addicted to crack and heroin, Derek Lamb (44) has been clean for most of the past 16 years. For the last two of those years he has been living in his car, afraid to enter the local homeless shelter for fear of being exposed to drugs, for fear of relapsing after working so hard to stay sober.

Entrusted with a planet in thrall to climate change, the children of today do not have it easy. However, unlike generations past, young people in 2023 are acutely aware of the world around them and their role in protecting an environment which has slowly been eroded by their predecessors. In her new novel, The Silver Road, Gorey children’s author Sinead O’Hart touches on these issues and more in a story which deals with bullying, grief, and Irish mythology.

With World Mental Health Day taking place on Tuesday, October 10, one of Wexford’s leading mental health services is reminding all those enduring difficult times of the importance of reaching and connecting with others. Grow Mental Health hosts peer support meeting in Wexford town every Monday at 11 a.m. in Wexford Mental Health Association, Henrietta Street, Wexford and every Monday at 7 p.m. in South West Wexford Family Resource Centre, Ramsgrange, Co. Wexford.

Following its successful car show in May, DB Dailys has presented the Bumbleance with €4250 to help it continue to transport children from all over the country to their hospital appointments. The proceeds from a show which attracted thousands of people to Wexford Quay will fund some of the two thousand journeys taken by the 14 bumbleances on an annual basis.

A half-century after the first group of students entered the halls of Kennedy Park National School, their successors have celebrated the schools 50th anniversary with a special 70s-themed celebration. Over the course of two days, the school’s current staff and pupils were joined by former colleagues and friends for a walk down memory lane and an opportunity to reflect on the last 50 years.

For the fourth year in succession, Blackwater has been named Wexford’s tidiest town. And, for the second year in row, the south Wexford village finished ahead of Wexford town and Duncormick in the annual Super Valu Tidy Towns awards.

Menapians Athletic Club has announced it is relaunching its popular road race as a four mile run this year. There will be a new route for everyone to tackle this year, a new date of October 15 and a new race day with the event now taking place on Sunday morning at 10.30 a.m.

After a successful 2023 festival, Art in the Open’s team of volunteers has raised €3,535 for Wexford Women’s Refuge (WWR) which was the partner charity for this year’s event.

A popular south Wexford restaurant is to be leased out by its owners with viewings expected to begin next week. The Lobster Pot in Carne is owned by Nicola and Josef Zammit, who also own the TwoCooks restaurant in Sallins, County Kildare. The couple have now decided to lease ‘The Pot’ out to prospective parties so they can focus on their business in Kildare.