A town with a busy and thriving Chamber of Commerce, inviting independent shops and a beautiful rural and lakeland hinterland, there are plenty of positives for Lisnaskea.

But recent years have not been kind to the busy second town of the county. There has been the closure of Lisnaskea High School, with the 100-plus pupils finding themselves getting on a bus to attend schools in places some distance from home.

The news this week that Danske Bank is closing its Lisnaskea branch, among others that are to close across Northern Ireland, is another blow for the town. For traders there will be the loss of a branch just down the street from their premises.

For personal customers, there will be the inconvenience of having to drive to other towns to do branch banking, get ATM statements or have personal one-to-one banking services. There is general dismay in the town and fears that services are being slowly choked out of existence.

Now, there are concerns that the Lisnaskea tourist office -- opened just last year around the time of the G8 -- is under threat. Funding may run out by the end of the year.

While the Upper Lough Erne Tourism Development Association (ULETDA), the group that runs the centre, was funded to run the Visitor Information Office, the group has also used the funding to deliver four successful new events, such as the Christmas Market, the Upper Lough Erne Pike Festival, Islander Festival and the Kingfisher Challenge cycle.

Approximately 3,000 people have visited, stayed or attended an event in the area as a result of the project to date.

ULETDA are currently working to obtain funding for the continuation of the project and also establishing a five year action plan to further develop the tourism product for the Upper Lough Erne Region.

We hope the group succeeds in this endeavour.

Lisnaskea has risen to the challenge of adversity before. The loss of manufacturing in the form of the closure of Sir Richard Arkwright factory was met with an entrepreneurial response and what was once a factory became units for business growth at Manderwood Park.

That sense of pupose and drive, shown by Lisnaskea’s entrepreneurs and business people, is what will ensure that all efforts will be made to continue this important tourism service in the heart of south Fermanagh.