Residents speak about living at Oakley Wood on RTE Radio 1 DriveTime

interviews at Oakley

Oakley Residents left to right Ellen Frazer, Aoife Tobin, Liz Fegan and Susan Dooley

RTE Radio 1 Barry Lenihan reporter interviewed Respond CEO Ned Brennan and a number of residents  living in the Respond  Oakley Wood Estate at Tullow, Carlow. Full radio interview can be listened to here

DriveTime broadcast these interviews on 28th October as part of his ‘ghostly’ slot to coincide with Halloween . The residents spoke about Oakley and what ‘getting a home’ of their own meant to them. The residents also spoke about their involvement in various community projects at Oakley.

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CEO Ned Brennan speaking with Barry Lenihan for Radion 1 Drivetime

The estate at Oakley Wood was the first unfinished estate controlled by the National Management Agency NAMA to be acquired for social housing. This project was also the first exclusively social housing NAMA project in the country to be taken on under the new private finance model of funding. It represented a unique collaboration between NAMA, Carlow County Council, the Department of Environment Community and Local Government and Respond.  This development saw 55 unfinished houses completed for the benefit of families in need of housing in the Tullow area in 2014. The family estate is now supported by a community facility where RESPOND! work with residents developing programmes and supports for children, teenagers and adults.

One resident commented during the recording that Oakley went ‘from ‘ghost estate’, to an estate filled with lively spirits’.

Residents of Oakley wood complete basic first aid course.

photos at Oakley 1aResidents from Oakley Wood estate also took part in a basic first aid course funded through Carlow/Kilkenny Education and Training Board.

photos at oakley 3Resident Support Worker for the estate Jen explains’ the resident group identified this as a useful and important skill to have, particularly on an estate in which residents actively run and take part in community/family events, such life-saving skills are essential.

Respond and the residents would like to thank the Education and training board for funding course, the residents hope to progress to further training in the area in the near future.

Posted:  November 2015 by Respond Jen Danaher Family Support Worker