Hawthorns Adult Centre welcomes American guests

A delegation from America recently visited Carrickfergus as part of an exciting international partnership with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

Working with Carrickfergus Senior Gateway Club and Mencap NI, the Trust welcomed 25 guests from Toward Independent Living and Learning (TILL), a Boston-based organisation which supports adults with learning disabilities.

The visit was part of its ‘Education Through Travel’ programme which offers people with learning disabilities the opportunity to develop interpersonal and social skills through the transformative experience of world travel.

Reflecting on the initiative, the Northern Trust’s Assistant Director for Learning Disability, Gareth Farmer said: “This was a day to remember for everyone involved, especially our service users, and we’re hoping it is just the start of shared experiences like this.

“They enjoyed a great time together and it was amazing for us to see their enjoyment and watch them making new connections and friendships.

“I would like to thank everyone involved for helping to make this opportunity such a success, and I know we are all looking forward to building on this for the future.”

The Northern Trust’s Locality Manager Thomas Haighton, added: “This was an amazing opportunity to forge local and international relationships and all of us at Hawthorns Adult Centre are very excited about our involvement.

“Looking ahead, staff from TILL will be coming over in September to join us for a learning event and we plan on developing our links by arranging social Zoom calls so we can keep in regular contact. In the longer-term we would hope to take part in an exchange programme and we’re really looking forward to developing these new connections for the benefit of our service users.”

During their visit, guests enjoyed a guided tour at Carrickfergus Castle before the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council welcomed them to Carrickfergus Town Hall. They watched a performance from the Knockagh School of Irish Dance, while in a real highlight for everyone, James Martin MBE joined the group for a special screening of An Irish Goodbye.

26th April 2024