Meitheal is alive and well in Inishowen

Inishowen is demonstrating it's famed resilience in the face of the government's Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions, which are set to remain in place for at least six weeks.

Meitheal, the Irish word for co-operation to meet social need is apparent throughout the peninsula, however, with restrictions on person-to-person contact, many of these initiatives have moved online.

Inishowen Development Partnership, the local development organisation which works to achieve positive change in the lives of people and groups in Inishowen, has organised the Inishowen Shop Local Campaign.

The campaign is under the umbrella of the group's newly developed Social Enterprise, The Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse team has been working behind the scenes for months, researching a solution to support local businesses by bringing virtual shopping options and experiences to the people in Inishowen.

Also, created just a week ago on Facebook, the Buncrana and Inishowen Shop Local Initiative page has already garnered more than 1,000 followers. It was set up in response to the “expressed wish” of Inishowen people to shop local this year.

The Initiative said: “So many of us have expressed a wish to shop local this year and we want to support local businesses through this challenging time. To make it easier, this page is dedicated to showcasing local businesses and how we can still engage with them in the run up to Christmas.

“If you are a customer and you wanted to give a shout-out to a local business, tell us about your services, promotions and how we can support you.

“Let us know if you have an online shop or if you are taking orders by Facebook or phone. Feel free to post photos.”

Meanwhile, the hashtag #DonegalYourChristmas is a Twitter response to the Level 5 restrictions.

Businesses in Buncrana and Inishowen with Twitter accounts, have been invited to get involved via this link: HERE.