‘Evening to remember’ at Palace for delighted community worker

A COMMUNITY worker from Tyrone has said it was a ‘privilege and honour’ to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla to discuss her work with refugees and newcomers coming to live locally.

Mary Lafferty is the founder of the support group, ‘Empowering Refugees and Newcomers Organisation’ (ERANO), which is based in Community House in Omagh.

Set up in 2022, the group’s aim is to ensure that new arrivals in the area and beyond feel supported.

Initially designed to help Syrians fleeing the conflict in their home country, ERANO expanded to accommodate Ukrainian refugees and now anyone from overseas who finds themselves at a loss.

In recognition of the humanitarian work being carried out by ERANO, Mary received an invitation to a dinner at Buckingham Palace last Wednesday night.

The community worker said, “Meeting with like-minded people, and getting the opportunity to discuss work within the refugee/asylum seeker/newcomers sector, was enlightening and motivating.

“There was so much energy in that environment, it was truly inspiring. It was an evening to remember and I thank those that made this possible.”

She added, “The invitation was unexpected and I’m personally delighted that someone felt the work we do at ERANO deserved this recognition. Daily, we work with problems and life-altering issues to ensure our new communities feel valued and adhere to all the legal issues required of them.

“Finding funding is a constant headache. On so many days, the sheer volume of problems coming at one can be emotionally draining.

“Working with real people that you grow to care about often means working out-of-hours because you can’t ignore a call for help – or at least I can’t!”

ERANO helps families to access services, provides information workshops and runs countless social events, from Thai cooking classes to Zumba.