The Omagh Memorial Fund has passed the £2 million mark as the town faces the grim six-month anniversary of the Market Street bomb today. Despite a slow start, the fund set up in the aftermath of the bomb has raised a total of £2,200,116 to date. Payments amounting to £615,300 have been made to 237 of the bereaved and injured. Initial estimates that the fund might reach £12 million have been reduced to a more conservative £5 million by the trustees.
Mr Brian Oliphant, fund manager, said he was grateful to all those who had donated so generously to the fund - which received some unfavourable press coverage in the North when it failed to meet expectations. "We are delighted, it's great news for Omagh. Obviously there was a lot of fundraising going on around Christmas and money has been coming in since then, and there is definitely a lot more to come.
"The people of Omagh haven't been forgotten by the outside world, and sadly that is something we have to be grateful for. But while the rest of the world has to carry on, we are still in their thoughts."
The fund trustees recently took the decision to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of the bomb - an issue which has not been dealt with by other funds, such as those set up in Enniskillen and Dunblane.
This move has been welcomed by the Omagh-based trauma team. Mr Michael Duffy, team co-ordinator, said that people who were mentally injured by the bomb had needs that must be acknowledged.
"A lot of people whose wounds cannot be seen need the same degree of understanding as those whose wounds are obvious to the naked eye."