Cork shop offering safe space for students to shelter from weather in winter months

A shop in Bishopstown is offering a safe space for school children to stay warm during the winter months if they miss their bus or their lift home from school.

Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown has come up with a way to show some community spirit as the colder and much darker evenings roll in by offering a safe haven for students to help alleviate stress on both students and their parents.

The Centra has said that their store is always open as a safe and friendly place for children and teens to keep warm and said that they can also offer their phone to anyone who may need to contact home.

In a post on social media, Herlihy’s Centra said it is “always here to help” and reminded parents to “never be stuck” if their child misses their lift home.

The post on Facebook read: “Herlihy’s Centra are always here to help, especially now that the evenings are getting darker and winter is closing in on us.

“If your child has missed their bus or lift, or if their phone has died, they can always come to Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown to wait for you and of course we will take care of them and they can use our phone. It’s a friendly place where they can be warm, dry and safe until they are collected. Never be stuck.” 

It comes as some parents in Cork raised concerns recently about not being able to secure a bus ticket for their children ahead of their return to school.

Minister for Education Norma Foley faced criticism from both her Coalition colleagues and opposition TDs as families who have been using the school bus service for a number of years found themselves without tickets, leaving some parents in situations where they have to rearrange work times or make the decision not to send their child to school.

Local politicians have called for the review of the School Transport Scheme to be published without further delay.