Awards recognition for Omagh community worker

AN Omagh community worker has been recognised at the Good Relations Awards 2023 in Belfast.

Mary Lafferty is the founder of the Empowering Refugees and Newcomers Organisation (ERANO), a new support group for refugees who have settled in the Omagh and Fermanagh area.

She was ‘highly-commended’ in the Community Champion category.

In the past year, ERANO has worked extensively with Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in the Omagh district after fleeing their war-torn country.

The awards, co-ordinated by the Community Relations Council in partnership with the Executive Office, showcase the ‘outstanding community relations, intercultural and peacebuilding work’ that is taking place across all our communities.

Speaking to the UH, Mary said she was “delighted” to be recognised for doing a job she loved.

“It was an honour to be nominated, and to be presented with the award during a ceremony at Belfast Harbour Commissioners Headquarters.

“I believe passionately in the work I do with ERANO and I was humbled to be given recognition for doing a job I love.”

Martin McDonald, MBE, chair of the Community Relations Council, said, “The Community Relations Council is proud of the legacy of the awards, which we have organised since 2006 to highlight exceptional achievements by local peacebuilders throughout Northern Ireland.

“The newly-expanded 2023 Good Relations Awards – in partnership with the Executive Office, NICVA, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Youth Forum, and Volunteer Now – aims to highlight even more amazing individuals across five award categories.

“The Good Relations Awards 2023 recognises the growing diversity of our society and the huge efforts of everyday people working from grassroots level and upwards making a real difference to all our lives.”