John McCormack, Chief Executive of the Thurles Lions Trust recently met Healthy Age Friendly Homes Regional Manager Karen Fennessy and Tipperary Co-ordinator Tracey Thompson to discuss areas of collaboration.
John spoke of the history of The Stanwix Home, it’s benefactor Ms Emma Slaughter-Stanwix, and The Stanwix Trust who were charged by Ms Stanwix in her will with delivering on her vision. The Stanwix Village complex is an initiative of the Thurles Lions Trust Housing Association.
Thurles Lions Trust Housing Association (TLTHA) is a special purpose, charity status, company formed by Thurles Lions Club to develop and operate social housing in the Thurles area, providing accommodation for those who are homeless or in threat of homelessness and provide accommodation for people with underlying mental and physical health challenges.
The Stanwix Trust was established in Thurles in 1889 to cater to widows in the area. It is affectionately known locally as the “Widows Home” and has provided support to widows in the area for over 130 years. Thurles Lions Club has been providing support services to Widows Home since the club’s foundation in 1964. In 2015, TLTHA approached Stanwix Trust to see if there were opportunities for cooperation.
In 2020, TLTHA went to tender for construction projects and secured €3.8m of CAS funding from the government for redevelopment works. The works, known as Stanwix Village, were scheduled to commence on January 11th, 2021, and to be completed in 2022.
Stanwix Village comprises 19 units of mixed accommodation for people with disability and the elderly on the Stanwix Home grounds and will include a new home for Thurles Lions Club “Blue Door” project which provides community support services, particularly in the areas of mental health and suicide awareness. This complex also includes a 5-unit house providing 24 hours/day support for dependent people with more severe disabilities.
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar T.D. officially opened the Thurles Lions Trust Stanwix Village development on Friday 19th May 2023. Stanwix Village consists of 16 houses, which are now home to 20 people and a community centre.
