Sector news Cork Volunteer Week A Major Success
Cork hosted a weeklong series of events in early April to celebrate volunteering, to thank everyone in the city who has volunteered in the past and to show off 200 different groups that people can join. Some said they came for the chocolate bars, others said it was for the free entertainment. And more people came because they were directed that way by volunteers who spent days paving the shopping streets of Cork seeking out new volunteers. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dara Murphy, led the weeklong celebrations, the main event of which was a three-day Volunteer Fair. Volunteer Week also highlighted good volunteering practice (focusing on induction, development and training, working contracts) and enabled groups to recruit a new generation of volunteers. As Lord Mayor Cllr.Dara Murphy said, “Without the dedication, commitment and interest of volunteers many services our citizens enjoy would not be available and many projects would not be completed.” John Mullins, CEO of Bórd Gáis, the title sponsors of the initiative, explained why they backed it: “Many of us do not realise just how essential volunteering is in supporting the more vulnerable in society and how easy it is to become involved.”
Women’s Aid Cycle Cyclists of all abilities are being encouraged to polish their spokes and take part in the Women’s Aid East Coast Cycle Challenge. The 70K fun cycle from Dublin to Arklow takes place on Saturday 15th May. For more details phone 01-8684721, email cycle@ womensaid.ie or visit www.womensaid.ie
Bealtaine Festival: May 1- 31
Bealtaine, Ireland’s unique festival celebrating creativity in older age, will take place throughout May, with thousands of events across the country. Some of the organisations taking part include: * Ballyfermot/Chapelizod Partnership is hosting a tea dance. * South West Wexford CDP is hosting the St Louis Stitchers with lace-making, crochet and beading activities. * Kildare Leader Partnership is hosting ‘Voices through Art’ and ‘Ageing with Confidence’ in partnership with Older Voices Kildare. * Longford Community Resources is hosting creative writing, an arts and crafts exhibition, Intergenerational activities, a local history project and more.. * Forum Connemara is hosting intergenerational activities. Bealtaine is Ireland’s largest co-operative arts festival and is co-coordinated by Age and Opportunity . The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Have dreams and speak them without fear’, a line from a poem by Anthony S. Abbott. Highlights will include the Dawn Chorus involving the Association of Irish Choirs and Active Retirement Ireland. More information: www.bealtaine.com and www.ageandopportunity.ie
Simple Alarms Still Saving Lives - Community Support for Older People Prior to his move, Minister of State John Curran announced that 92 groups in total had benefited from a reduced but still operating Scheme of Community Support for Older People so far this year. The scheme funds community groups to install alarms and home security devices, and provides aids such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, to enable the older person live independently. The Scheme of Community Support for Older People was initially introduced in 1996. While the scheme remains active, the grant total has declined in recent years from a high of over €4m in 2008. The full list of beneficiaries for 2010 is available on the Department’s website at www.pobail.ie. Year
No. of CSOP Groups
No. of Older People
Total Value of the Grants
2007
464
10,764
€3,708,019
2008
522
11,762
€4,312,014
2009
116
1,866
€638,976
2010
92 (as of March)
-
€280,000 (as of March)
6.