A celebration of a service that has changed the lives of so many, was how Minister of State Frank Feighan described the events that took place on September 26th at Cregg House in Sligo on September 26th, marking the closure of Cregg Services.  Although Covid 19 restrictions limited the number who could attend, among those present were former residents, families and staff. Following Mass and attended by representatives from the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist and Muslim faiths, those gathered were addressed by resident Mary Hogan and family representative Joy Nairn.

Representing Minister for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte, Minister Feighan noted that: “Today marks the end of the decongregation process here at Cregg House. Residents are now part of communities and able to live independent lives. This is all down to the hard work of the HSE and its staff. I’m delighted to be a part of the celebration for a service that has changed the lives of so many.”

Acknowledging all those involved, John Hayes, Chief Officer, HSE CHO Area 1 (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo) said “I would like to thank the Daughters of Wisdom for the excellent care, dedication and compassion they have always shown residents and service users during their time at Cregg House. I would also like to pay tribute to all the staff of Cregg House, past and present, who gave residents a wonderful home and looked after service users with such kindness and warmth. You have left a lasting impact on the lives of so many.”

Stressing that they would continue to ensure that disability services continue to develop and grow, Edel Quinn, Head of Disabilities CHO1 added: “We will offer more person centred training and choice for our service users. Although service users may no longer be residents at Cregg House, our support will always be on offer and we will continue to help them with their transition into the community in any and every way we can.”

Chairperson of the Cregg Closure Special Celebration Committee, Caroline O’Hehir, further noted that they wanted residents to “always remember their time in Cregg House. So we are giving a tree to each of our 20 designated centres so residents can always remember Cregg. We have also produced a special book of memories from residents and staff, so they can always remember the good times in Cregg House.”

In total with the closure of Cregg campus there will be a total of 39 community houses for people with Disabilities across Sligo, Leitrim and South Donegal

The day was a fitting tribute to the history of Cregg Services and signified the closure of one chapter and the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the residents and staff.