Athlone man hoping to welcome Ukrainians into his home

An Athlone resident said he wants to "do my bit" by welcoming Ukrainian refugees into his home, but he hasn't been able to find a builder to carry out repairs that are needed to make it happen.

Dave Henshaw, who lives in St Francis Terrace, said he could offer the upstairs floor of his home, which consists of four rooms, and could be used as "a self-contained flat" by people forced to leave the war-torn country.

He said the main issue that's stopping him from offering the use of the upstairs immediately is that there's a small leak in the roof which needs to be fixed, and anybody he's contacted to carry out the work has been too busy to take on the job.

Dave got in touch with the Westmeath Independent and emphasised that he was not asking for this work to be done for free. He was quite prepared to pay "the going rate" but wants to get the work carried out as soon as possible given the urgency of the crisis in Eastern Europe.

"I'd like to be able to do my bit and welcome people into the country," said Dave. "I need somebody in to fix the roof so I can turn it around (and make the upstairs available)."

He said that he would ideally like to have a kitchen installed upstairs also, but getting the roof repaired was the first and most urgent priority.

"The builders seem to be full to capacity, and I haven't been able to get somebody in to do it," he explained.

Part of a well-known local family, and great-uncle of rugby star Robbie Henshaw, Dave moved back to his native town in 2019 after decades living in England and then Athy in Kildare.

The 82-year-old said he had been following events in Ukraine on the news. "It's atrocious. It's just beyond belief what's happening," he remarked.

Dave can be contacted on: 09064 33528.