A NEW initiative by a Tramore shop aimed at providing a safe space for schoolchildren in the case of emergencies during the dark winter months has been receiving huge public praise and support.
Hickson's Centra in Tramore say they will welcome in schoolchildren and teens to the shop who have either missed buses or need to call parents etc in the case of any emergencies after school hours.
The message about the initiative was posted by the shop on its Facebook page in recent days - and has been widely shared, and praised, by parents and the wider Waterford community since.
Donal Hickson, proprietor of the store, told Maria McCann on 'Deise Today', that the idea was conceived by himself and a number of like-minded retailer colleagues recently.
All of them, he said, were parents themselves and members of small communities who just wanted to do their bit in terms of assurance for parents and school children now the academic year has begun again.
The shop says that children who miss buses or who have other emergencies after school hours are welcome to come into the shop and either seek help or wait for lifts.
Since the idea was mooted a number of other Centra stores in Waterford have shared a similar message on their Facebook pages also, including Centra in Portlaw.
