The speaker at the first speaker after Easter was Helen Maguire from Addiction (NI) who talked about the growing problem faced in today’s stress filled world.

The level of alcohol consumption has increased considerably, especially in the 65-74 age group. This can be accounted for by loneliness, end of working life, loss of sense of purpose, bereavement of purpose or financial worries. Additionally, the number of alcohol related deaths has increased.

Helen reminded the members that the number of alcohol units per week has now been reduced to 14 for both men and woman. Additionally, it is advised that we should have 2 days without any alcohol each week to allow the body to recover.

The Club welcomed Mr Gary Wilson as the visiting speaker to give the Club an update on the Air Ambulance Service in NI. The are currently two helicopters providing the valuable service, the main one based in Nutt’s Corner near Aldergrove and the backup at St Angelo in Fermanagh. The helicopter’s as used on average once per day with doctors and paramedics forming a Rota to Travel in the machine to attend to any emergency. The max journey time to somewhere like Fermanagh is 25minutes which greatly improves the chance of survival in the event of a serious injury.

The down side is the cost of running the service which is approximately £2m per year and puts great pressures on their fund raising efforts.

The Club were delighted to welcome Ian Archer, Deputy Manager of Fermanagh Rural Community Transport along to give a talk on their organisation. They have a fleet of 13 buses - each with 16 seats and provision for one wheel chair, to give transport to those in the county without access to cars or public transport. They are funded by the Dept for Infrastructure and offer ‘door to door’ lifts to those who require it.

Rotarian Heather Ellis gave a talk on her trip to South East Asia last Autumn. Accompanied by her friends Valerie and Ruth who joined her on the trip, Heather gave an excellent account of their travels.

Their first stop was in Bangkok where they witnessed the mourning for The King of Thailand and the cremation ceremony after a year long period mourning. The funeral pyre was reputed to cost a staggering £90m. They were struck by the panoramic views on their travels, the amazing taste of the pineapples and the friendliness of the people. This was particularly so for the children who were adorable. In that country, while the boys receive a scant education, the girls receive next to none.

Their next stop was Hanoi in Vietnam where they visited the museum to Ho Chi Minh. They also stoped in Da nang the second largest city in Vietnam. Their reflections of the area was on the panoramic views, the widespread of use of rice as the staple diet of the region and the poor housing conditions that exist.

Past President Bob Baird with President Henry

Bob Baird was the speaker on 21st when he outlined his previous occupations including some time with the RAF. On his return to Fermanagh he saw the opportunity to pursue his interests in writing and joined the Fermanagh Writers Group. He has had apart in numerous publications by the group which has been very satisfying for him.

Past President Bob Baird and Roberta Malone
with President Elect Siobhan O'Reilly

Roberta is a sign2music teacher. Sign2music is the only 'baby signing' company to be formed here in Northern Ireland and supports communication for all children in the use of signs. The programmes delivered are an enriched development and bonding experience for the children, with the big emphasis being on fun. Everything is aimed to enhance the child's development and relationship with parents, carers and their teachers.

Sign2music was founded by a County Down lady called Dierdre McLaughlin in 2007. Classes use local Northern Ireland British sign language signs and encourage children to sign in a fun way using puppets, games, songs, nursery rhymes and musical instruments. Sign2music is suitable from age 6 months with the choice of 'Wrigglers' (6 months to 2 years) and 'Movers' (2 years+). Weekly topics cover over 100 signs and include nappy changing, bedtime, bathtime and others.

Roberta explained to us how she started to learn sign language and then discovered sign2music. She briefly told us about the difficulties she had in the past with mental health problems and how she had turned such a negative experience into a very positive stepping stone leading to an enjoyable and fulfilling job that benefitted not just herself but many others.

Past President Bob Baird and John Monaghan
with President Henry

At the first meeting in August the Club welcomed as its speaker Mr John Monaghan, chairman of the Fermanagh Creative Writing Group to talk about their work. He explained that they have all difference to interests and abilities but they encourage each other to develop their writing skills and to share it for the benefit of others. Their most recent project has been to assist with the publication on Francis Ledwidge, the soldier.poet and the event recently held in the Cathedral / St Michaels.

President Henry with Raymond Farrell

Raymond Farrell was the speaker at the latest Rotary Club Meeting on the subject of Mental Health. He stated that it is estimated that there are 800,000 people worldwide who commit suicide each year. Last year there were 318 suicides in the province (6 per week). The Samaritans take a call every 6 seconds and Lifelines receive 15,000 calls per week.

He complimented the Enniskillen Club for selecting AMH as their special charity for support this year by way of the Boost Programme for young people.

He stressed the need for all people feeling low or depressed to seek help or share their problems.

KEY TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

S ocialise (its good to mix)
T alk ( important to share your worries )
R est and relaxation ( Time for self)
E xercise & Eat well (necessary for a healthy body)
S leep (essential for us all )
S piritual belief (beneficial to have a faith )

President Henry with Brendan Hegarty

Brendan Hegarty, CE of Fermanagh-Omagh District Council was the speaker at this weeks meeting when he updated the members on the preparation and planning that went into the amalgamation of the separate Fermanagh and Omagh Councils. Previously there was great rivalry between both set of councillors and relations were not good, however that has greatly improved and while they have differences they all work for the benefit of the combined Council area. He reported that both the Councillors and Council officials have embraced the challenge of improving the way they lead and serve the community and work with others to promote opportunities for all.