Skibbereen Centre at the heart of town's community

From small beginnings in 2007, the Skibbereen Community & Family Resource Centre touches into parts of all community life in the town and beyond. It plans to further increase the range of services on offer to meet an ever-increasing demand.

SKIBBEREEN’S Community & Family Resource Centre (SCFRC) is the perfect example of what can be achieved when a group of like-minded individuals work together for the betterment of the community. 

Most people passing the centre, which is located beside Cyara on North Street, will have no idea of the crucial work taking place on a daily basis inside nor the many members of our community it is impacting in important, positive ways. 

Funded by HSE and Tusla it provides supports and services to the community in Skibbereen and its environs, stretching from Leap to Ballydehob, Drimoleague, Baltimore and the islands.

The SCFRC is an important hub for people to meet and forge connections with a diverse range of services available for everyone from cradle to grave. These services include baby bunch, parent and toddler groups, youth groups, parents plus, sewing groups, active retirement groups, along with a wide range of ETB courses that are available throughout the year for those looking for further education.

The core work of the centre is to provide a confidential and non-judgement space for people in crisis and in need of emergency help and to offer them support and the access to the appropriate services they may need. 

Families and individuals who come to the centre may be in a very sensitive situation and need to meet professionals who are empathic, who make them feel at home, and who will work with them to overcome their crisis. That is what the centre provides. 

There’s a family drop-in service, and also low-cost counselling, art and play therapies. Family support workers engage with Tusla in the ‘Meitheal’ process which is an early intervention multi-agency response to a family crises. 

Pre-Covid, it hosted an evening with HSE psychologist Jo Boniface on anxiety and children. Attendance for this event exceeded all expectation and it is hoped to host similar events in the future. The centre has meeting rooms available to hire for community-focussed events. Its conference room can cater for over 80 people.

The centre  continued to provide its support services throughout the pandemic. It was also an important hub for Ukrainian refugees when they arrived in West Cork under the auspices of Tusla and the Red Cross. Here they received help with medical care, translator service and basics such as clothes and laundry.

Jessie and Kathy Crockett from Ballydehob, Annie de Bhal, Skibbereen, Katie Toullis, Castlehaven and Emma Challacome, Skibbereen enjoying a meet up and a cuppa at Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre. (Photo; Anne Minihane)

In 2020, around 1,000 people were helped by the Centre; that number has grown to around 5,000 this year. Its Food Bank, which is experiencing a growing demand, operates once a week in association with Food Cloud and a similar service that is already established in Drimoleague.

A successful project initiated by the SCFRC is the annual window display in Skibbereen businesses in support of Pride & the LGBTQI+ community. A new library with relevant Pride literature is nearing completion at the centre. 

Initial conversations about the need for a family resource centre started in 2007. 

The HSE called a meeting at that time and invited individuals who were involved in other voluntary organisations in the community, and other interested parties to attend. A needs analysis was conducted and funding was sourced.

The centre officially opened its doors on Townshend Street in 2011, with former Mountjoy prison governor John Lonergan performing the honours. 

Lynzie Dunnachie and Heidi Wischniewski members of the Skibbereen Sewing Group who enjoy the facilities of the Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre. (Photo: Anne Minihane)

Today SCFRC has a full-time coordinator, two part-time development workers, a part-time office administrator and a part-time office manager. The team will shortly be expanded to meet the needs in the community. A dedicated voluntary board assist in the management of the centre. However, the voluntary board is very much in the background, and the professional team are in place to provide the supports.

Now that the centre has a convenient premises on North Street, it has strengthened ties with the community and plans to expand the range of services it offers to meet increasing demand. 

The board’s ambition is to secure a site and fundraise for a building, or to acquire a suitable building to ensure the continued provision of these essential community services.  

Delia Van Hemmen is the centre’s new coordinator: ‘My vision for the SCFRC is for it to be a very welcoming space that reaches out to connect with every member of our community.

Barry Looney, West Cork Hotel manager who were the winners of the Skibbereen Community and Family
Resource Centre ‘Show Your Pride’ Window Competition 2023, receiving the award from Sally Daly, Board Member and Delia van Hemmen, Co Ordinator at the Centre. (Photo: Anne Minihane)

‘My aim will be to be responsive to individual needs, to support community groups, to deliver programs of activity and overall to make sure that the SCFRC is a strong pillar of support in the community. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated and experienced staff team, a well-equipped bright and spacious premises and a skilled and committed board of management. Everything is in place for  its continued success. My own approach to community work has always been to connect on a human level. My door is open and I would really invite anyone in the community to come and speak with me.’

See scfrc.ie

What the services users say 

‘I was new to Skibbereen and I knew nobody. The babytalk group has been so gentle and caring and a great resource for me to come to. The information has been brilliant and I think I’ve made friends for life.’

‘I live on one of the islands and I try to get to dancing twice a month. There’s a late ferry. It’s very relaxing, and great fun. I love having a laugh and learning too.’ 

‘My sewing class was a lifeline for me. When I started I knew no one, now I have friends and we want to start our own craft group to continue to support each other.’ 

‘I get two to three days out of the food I get here. It makes a big difference to my food shop and I don’t know what I’d do without it.’

(From the centre’s 2018 annual report)