UH/0160

Memorial Fund tops £500,000 already
Figure rising on an hourly basis
BY: JOHN McCUSKER

UPWARDS on half-a-million pounds has already been contributed towards the memorial fund set up in the wake of the Omagh bombing tragedy.
And yesterday afternoon (Wed), Council officials revealed that figure was rising "almost on an hourly basis."
Councillors met on Tuesday morning of this week to arrange various courses of action to be taken in the aftermath of the disaster.
Among items discussed was the structuring of what will be known as the 'Omagh Memorial Fund.'
Arising from the meeting it was agreed that the Council would appoint a part-time Trust administrator to oversee the fund.
The Council is also to write to US President Bill Clinton, inviting him to visit Omagh as part of his trip to the North next month.
Floral gifts are to be sent to all the injured currently in hospital and letters and best wishes are to be sent to those patients who have been discharged.
Books of Condolence will closed on Tuesday, 15th September, after which they and messages of sympathy will be put on public display.
A private viewing for relatives of the deceased and injured would be arranged prior to the books going on public view.
A permanent home for the Books of Condolence has yet to be arranged.
The Council also say floral tributes would be sensitively dealt with and any cards and messages attached would be retained to form part of a Book of Remembrance.
Omagh councillors, in conjunction with their counterparts in Buncrana, will arrange a visit to Spain which is expected to take place during the last week in September.
During this trip, relatives of those children killed or injured in the bomb attack would be visited.
The Council also plan to obtain a copy of the poem written by Buncrana schoolboy, Sean McLaughlin for President Mary McAleese, for inclusion in a Book of Poems.
Toys and teddies would be passed to hospitals and children's homes, hopefully by relatives of the victims.
Cllr Paddy McGowan represented the people of the town at a special memorial service in John's Lane Church in Dublin this week, while Cllr Pat McDonnell will attend a similar service in Wexford on Sunday at which those killed and injured in the bombing will be remembered.
A spokesperson for the Council also said: "We acknowledge the critical role which the Tyrone County Hospital played in dealing with the immediate aftermath of the bomb, which they felt underscored its importance as an acute hospital. This would form part of the Council's future lobbying strategy."
Earlier in the week council officials met local traders to look at the way forward for the reconstruction of the town centre.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Compensation Agency, Planning Service and Roads Service.
Also in attendance were representatives from Manchester City Council, Banbridge and Portadown Chambers of Commerce.
Chief Executive, John McKinney explained how the Council had put in place measures designed to help everyone through what he described as "this harrowing time."
The Chief Executive stated that the Council, in conjunction with other agencies, was working with the trauma which the people of the district were experiencing as a result of the huge loss of life and injuries.
They also had to deal with the issue of physical construction of the building fabric of the town.
The people of the district, he said, would continue to receive the full support of the Council.
Following Tuesday's Council meeting, Chairman, Sean Clarke expressed his thanks to the role the local district council had played in the aftermath of the bombing.
"As Chairman, I am proud of the role our Council played and I again would like to put on record the community's gratitude to our Chief Executive and all his staff for their sterling work.
"The unity of this Council shone out like a beacon of hope in the dark days after the bomb and we owe it to the people of the area to keep divisive party politics out of this chamber" added the Chairman.
Donations to Omagh Memorial Fund can be made by cash, cheque, Visa, postal order or direct debit to Omagh District Council, The Grange. Cheques to be made payable to "Omagh Memorial Fund."
A facility to receive donations is also available at any Post Office, Account Freepay 3050.
The Memorial Fund account is at: First Trust Bank, High Street, Omagh. Account No. 55876365, Sort Code 93 81 30.