Comhaltas and “The Hobnobs” entertain at the HSE’s Enniscorthy Creative Activity Garden

A season of outdoor events got under way last Friday afternoon at the Creative Activity Garden, located on the grounds of St. John’s Community Hospital in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.

Featuring an amphitheatre styled area, the Creative Activity Garden is a multi-functional space for gatherings and health and wellbeing activities in the heart of the HSE healthcare campus. The open air concert hosted there on Friday was attended by residents and service users of the campus, by staff and visitors, by local residents and community Gardai in Enniscorthy.

With Martin Fitzhenry as MC in lovely sunshine, those present enjoyed entertainment from the Enniscorthy branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. “The Hobnobs”, a group comprised of local retired mental health nurses group, followed in what was a performance marking the anniversary of the late Mickey Connors, who was a resident of the Havenview Residential Care Centre located on campus.

Those enjoying the lunchtime event in the Creative Activity Garden included community Gardai from Enniscorthy and refreshments were provided by the catering team from St. John’s Community Hospital.

The Activity Garden project was supported as a placement incentive by Wexford County Council’s Culture and Creativity team and Age Friendly programme, in partnership with the HSE, Creative Ireland, the Irish Architectural Foundation and the Enniscorthy Men’s Shed. Opened in September of last year, the development was also made possible thanks to funding from the government’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The HSE began the Healthy Campus and Creative Garden project at St. John’s in 2020 and its campus in Munster Hill, Enniscorthy features a wide range of healthcare facilities and services, including:

• Millbrock (disability services day centre).
• Tús Nua (mental health rehabilitation residential unit).
• Millview (mental health residential care).
• Havenview (intellectual disabilities residential care centre).
• An Tearman (mental health respite centre).
• Adult Disability and Children’s Disability Network Team facilities.
• The HSE’s Wexford Vaccination Centre.
• The HSE’s Health and Wellbeing service.
• The HSE’s Primary Care/Social Inclusion and Substance Misuse Team services.
• St. John’s Community Hospital.
• The Hubs for the Wexford Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons and the Wexford Memory Assessment and Support Service.
• St. John’s Day Centre for Older People.

The Enniscorthy Men’s Shed base is also housed in the old St. John’s building on the campus.