Cork Rose, Aoife Murphy, pictured at the Gilbert Centre with Irena Meiksane, Susan Sands, Claire ODonovan and Paula Quill.
The Gilbert Centre is a vibrant centre situated in Fair Street, Mallow, on grounds donated by the Mercy Convent. It was officially opened in March 2010 by Minister Kathleen Lynch, and is a multi-agency, state-of-the-art, community resource and outreach centre with specific access for people with physical and/or sensory disability, offers services to the North Cork community.The agencies, services and supports at the Gilbert Centre include National Council for the Blind of Ireland(NCBI), Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), CRST and other HSE therapy services, Headway, MS Ireland Support Group, Employability Services Cork, to name but a few. These services are offered in a comfortable, warm and welcoming environment. What makes the Gilbert Centre unique is its ‘one-stop shop’ philosophy. A person might come in to access one service and then link in with other services – they might come in as a service user of the IWA but also access physiotherapy on the same day. This is as a result of the service providers in the Centre working together, for the good of the service users, to provide an integrated, ‘one stop shop’ service.
While the main remit of the Gilbert Centre is for those with physical and/or sensory disability, it also has a diverse range of spaces which are available to both community and private groups at competitive rates. The spaces available can accommodate a variety of activities, from meetings and training courses to conferences. Manual handling and hoist training facilities are also available. The Gilbert Centre has a number of on-site facilities which include a fully accessible building, free WIFI, rooftop and sensory gardens, free on-site parking and also ‘The Griff’ restaurant which is open daily. The Centre also sports a fully-equipped gym, which they are currently looking for interested parties to lease.
The Gilbert Centre has hosted a number of events since its opening in 2010, including culture nights, Christmas fairs and fashion shows. During the summer, Cork Rose Aoife Murphy visited the Centre and met both staff and service users who really enjoyed meeting her. The most recent event, which took place in September on the rooftop garden, was a BBQ for the service users of the Centre. It took place over 3 days and service users from both Headway and the IWA really enjoyed it – thankfully the weather held up!
The number of people accessing the Centre has increased hugely since its opening, which in itself is a testament to the services and facilities of the Centre. The people of Mallow and North Cork are very fortunate to have this state-of-the-art facility on their doorstep.
For more details or information on any of the above, please contact the centre on 022-70700 or gilbertcentre@iwa.ie