An event showcasing the local welcoming spirit will take place tomorrow in Ramelton Community Centre.
The event, organised in response to the recent riots in Dublin, provides an opportunity to people from new communities in the area, whether they are migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, to meet locals. Similarly, the idea of the event is to provide an opportunity for locals to demonstrate their support for newcomers to the area.
The event, taking place at 6.30pm on December 13th, is an informal get together with food and music and is a community effort, led by the owners of the Bridge Bar Restaurant, Roisin and Matthias Llorente, along with Declan Meehan, local community activist.
“We wanted to show new communities in Donegal that recent demonstrations and protests by elements of the far right in this county, as well as nationally, are not representative of the majority’s viewpoint” said Declan Meehan. “The vast majority of people locally are supportive of diversity and welcoming of people from countries affected by war, violence and oppression.”
Roisin Llorente said that she felt she wanted to do something in response to the recent Dublin riots on a local scale. “We know the value of diversity in our communities, and we wanted to celebrate that because we know there is support for it” she said.
“We are chefs. Preparing food for people to come together is what we do. So that’s why we thought of this very simple event to do just that. We want people to come along, sit around some food together and talk to one another – there is always value in that.”
The Welcome Event will take place in Ramelton Community Centre on Wednesday, December 13th at 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.