Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery is celebrating ‘a dream come true’ having been given a fit-for-purpose premises, it has long dreamed of, to use as its headquarters.
The vital voluntary organisation which supports not only the people of Cork, but nationwide, with the search for loved ones, now has a new home on the river quays which will be the long-term base it has always hoped for.
Port of Cork Company (PoCC) has refurbished and provided a premises to the group.
Chris O’Donovan, Treasurer and Search Coordinator who was handed the keys to the premises on Friday, 29th April explained how much this donation of a permanent address means to the organisation and how much it will benefit its important work.
“This is the biggest day in our 22 year history by a long, long way – it’s life changing for our operations,” he stated. “Having a base that is on the water and will be our long-term home will mean that our response time to rescues on the water will be so much quicker and we finally have somewhere we can store our equipment and park our emergency vehicles”
Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery is a completely voluntary 24/7, 365 days a year service which supports families often providing peace and closure to the most heartbreaking of situations.
“Having this permanent premises will give us an appropriate space to sit with families to chat, console or even just have a cup of tea,” Chris continued. “For us as a team, we now have somewhere we can shower after hours out and in the water and a place we can sit and have a debrief after an operation. We are forever indebted to the Port of Cork Company, to all those who have made this happen and of course to Minister Michael McGrath who has been an enormous support.”
Minister Michael McGrath TD who had made the initial request to Port of Cork Company said: “This is a wonderful step forward for Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery which has been looking for a base for a number of years,” he stated. “I fully appreciate and recognise the enormous work that this vital organisation is doing and I want to thank the Port of Cork Company for their support in finding a home for them.”
Conor Mowlds, Chief Commercial Officer with Port of Cork Company added: “We were more than happy to refurbish and provide the free use of this premises to support the selfless work and dedication of the Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery. This is just a small token of appreciation for the incredible work and support it has given to so many families down through the years.”