Hector back in town to open community home for children

Well-known television personality and Navan native, Hector ' hEochagáin, was back in his hometown yesterday (Tuesday) to officially open a new community residential home on the Commons Road. Earlier this year at the request of the Health Service Executive (HSE), the St Michael"s House organisation opened 'Park View" House for children with an instinctual disability at Watters Lane on Commons Road. It is the organisation"s first service outside Dublin. The new Navan facility is home to five children from the area and employs a staff of nine people. The aim of the service is to provide a family-like atmosphere for the children and assist them in becoming involved in their local community. The children attend local schools and use local recreational and social facilities. Paul Ledwidge, chief executive, St Michael"s House, said they were delighted that Hector had given of his time to come back to Navan and officially open the house. 'The service provided here is hugely important in terms of assisting the children to become fully fledged members of the community and realising their potential.' St Michael"s House is a community-based voluntary organisation. Founded by parents in 1955, the organisation has grown to become one of the largest providers of services to people with an intellectual disability in Ireland. Today, St Michael"s House provides a range of specialised services to over 1,450 children and adults with a learning disability and their families through 160 community-based centres in the greater Dublin area. St Michael"s House employs over 1,650 staff.