At the start of April, after the people of Fermanagh and beyond generously donated vital supplies to help the people of Ukraine, local haulage company A1 Transport NI Ltd stepped up to the challenge of transporting the aid, bringing two lorryloads out to Poland, to be brought onwards to Ukraine.

On Palm Sunday, April 10, St. Macartin’s Cathedral in Enniskillen reopened for public worship following an extensive period of work being carried out on the building. Alluding to the Biblical story of Palm Sunday when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, the procession in Enniskillen was led by Tom the donkey, led by his owner, Matthew Hall.

In mid-April, it was confirmed by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council that the Ardhowen Theatre in Enniskillen will close in spring/summer 2023 to benefit from a full refurbishment at an estimated cost of £7.14 million. The planned works are to include a full upgrading and updating of the facility to “meet contemporary standards”, and are not limited to the structure of the building; its environs and unique lakeside aspect will also be enhanced.

There was shock and sadness across the boating community in Fermanagh following the tragic death of one of its most esteemed members. The body of Jimmy Dundas (68) was found on the morning of Tuesday, April 19 in Lower Lough Erne, near Lough Erne Yacht Club (LEYC).

Jimmy loved Lough Erne, and knew every inch of it like the back of his hand, with his love of the lough one of the common anecdotes that shone through in tributes to him.

New ceramic panels depicting old names and imagery of streets and areas of Enniskillen from times gone by are were installed across the island town in April.

Entitled, ‘A Sense of Place’, the 22 panels were designed and created by ceramic artist Eleanor Wheeler following research and conversations with local business owners, on whose buildings some of the pieces now adorn.

At the end of April, a woman who had to say goodbye to her brother via FaceTime messaging as he lay dying of Covid-19 in hospital after he contracted the virus from his care home, backed a call for a public NI Covid-19 inquiry ahead of the Assembly elections.

Basil Elliott, who suffered from dementia, was a resident of Meadow View Care Home in Enniskillen when he contracted Covid-19 in 2020.

Due to visiting restrictions in place at the time, he spent his last days without his family in the Covid ward in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH). Speaking to The Impartial Reporter in April, his sister, Anne Elliott-King, described having to say goodbye to her beloved older brother over FaceTime as “the worst thing ever”.

The family and friends of a Fermanagh woman living with West Syndrome came together in April to complete a fundraising climb of Cuilcagh Mountain as part of a 100 miles in 100 days challenge, raising over £2,000 for the Epilepsy Society UK in her name.

Hannah Baxter has suffered all her life with West Syndrome which manifests itself in almost daily epileptic seizures. For 33 years, she has needed care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.