Key events should make for a positive 2012
Mark Conway • Published 29 Dec 2011 13:00
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On Sunday, a new year will once again dawn and who knows what it will bring.
What we do know is that the last couple of years have been tough and we will all be hoping that matters improve in 2012.
We cannot predict the future but we already know that there are a few events happening that will certainly shape the future for many people in Fermanagh.
The opening of the new acute hospital in the South West will take place on June 22 with the £276 million hospital promising to change the face of healthcare delivery in the area in what has been described by Western Health and Social Care Trust Chief Executive, Elaine Way as a "once in a lifetime project".
Well, we certainly hope so. There has been much debate about the new hospital but the Compton Review clearly states the need for two acute hospitals in the west and this state-of-the art new hospital will be a major boost to the area.
Our health is our wealth and it is important that what is promised is delivered not just for now but in the years to come.
2012 will also see the opening of the Horizon West Hospice at Killadeas which will transform care and respite for children with special needs and their families. Undoubtedly, the Hospice is already a great community success story with the Fermanagh Friends of Hospice raising a staggering £1m during their six years in existence to build the Hospice.
If ever there was an example of the power of the community then this is it and the opening of the Hospice in 2012 is another highlight that we can all look forward to. It will take much more fundraising, however, to make it sustainable in the weeks and months to come and as the fundraising committee says that the 'money is needed now as much as ever'.
But again it is something to cherish and its importance to the community is obvious.
In August, the focus of the world will descend upon the Olympics in London.
Enniskillen man Gavin Noble has set his dreams on competing for a number of years now and is well positioned to do so with qualifying reaching the last couple of months.
There has been much talk of the legacy of the Games to the United Kingdom but what a boost it would be to sport in Fermanagh for a Fermanagh man to make the 2012 Olympics. In so doing, Gavin will show all our sportsmen and women what is possible when steadfast determination is allied to a natural sporting ability. The local sporting infra-structure in Fermanagh for athletics, in particular, is not great but you cannot allow that to stop you and Gavin has shown that by getting out there and competing at the highest level anything is possible.
We have sportsmen and women competing all over the world in many different sports, so it can be done and what a boost having someone from Fermanagh at the Olympics would be.
At this early stage, 2012 offers much to be positive about, whether it is the new hospital, the new hospice or someone pursuing their sporting dreams, hard work, determination and community spirit can take you a long way.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 29 Dec 11
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