Half a century helping the local community
CIVIC RECEPTION IN HONOUR OF BRAY OLD FOLKS ASSOCIATION/MEALS ON WHEELS
THE team behind the Bray Old Folks Association (BOFA) and Meals on Wheels celebrated their 50th anniversary in style last week as they attended a special civic reception held in their honour.
During the reception, which was held at Bray Town Hall, many memories of the last half-century were shared and Cllr John Ryan, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, gave an account of the many achievements and developments of the group during that time.
He described how the group first came about following an invitation by the County Manager to representatives of several local groups to attend a countywide meeting.
Nora Healy (later Featherstone) from Ballywaltrim attended that meeting and began to get things moving in Bray.
On April 1, 1966, the association took its first steps. Initial progress was slow, due to difficulties in finding accomodation, but the following year it was decided to starts a Meals on Wheels service.
‘ There were many struggles, financial and otherwise, but thanks to local businesses and individuals, generous sponsorship was secured and on November 14, 1967, the first 20 Meals on Wheels were delivered,’ said Cllr Ryan. ‘ The first meals cost two shillings and six pence each to produce and consisted of beef stew with rice pudding to follow.’
As the group went from strength to strength, the search for premises continued, until the then Eastern Health Board gave permission to erect a prefab building in the carpark of their premises on the Killarney Road.
‘ Thanks to the people and business community of Bray, finances improved all the while and BOFA decided to invest in a terrapin building and in November 1969, with the aid of local voluntary labour, the building was put in place,’ said Cllr Ryan. ‘And BOFA still operate out of that building to this day’.
Noting that BOFA/Meals on Wheels now deliver over 10,000 hot dinners to the local community each year, Cllr Ryan extended a huge thank you to all the hard-working volunteers who ensure that this – and many other worthwhile ventures – continues to happen.
‘As a community in Bray, we owe you all a huge debt of gratitude. Please keep up the grat work for the next 50 years,’ he said.
Chairman of BOFA Pat O’Toole thanked Cllr Ryan for his kind words and the council for hosting the civic reception.
Mr O’Toole also thanked the founding members and their families, some of whom were present on the night, for all their hard work and commitment to growing the association. He also reminded representatives of the Order of Malta, who provide transport services and assistance, that the Red Cross had contributed £10 to help get BOFA off the ground.
Mr O’Toole gave a sense of the wide range of activities the goup touches on when he outlined how the BOFA committee is an umbrella group of the five sub-committees, which are Meals on Wheels, social club, social services, ways and means group, and the drivers committee.
He spoke about how the group is funded mainly through collections, fundraisers and the HSE. While thanking all those who continue to give generously, he also said that fresh blood is always welcome among their volunteers.
Looking to the future, Mr O’Toole said that the association is awaiting the outcome of Trinity College study on ageing (due in 2018) to inform on the needs of senior citizens but have discussed a number of initiatives, including the provision of social housing and respite care.
More immediately, he said that the association hopes to move to new premises located in the proposed community care development on the current site.
He also said that further events were planned to mark the 50th anniversary of BOFA, including a dinner in May for recipients and both a gala evening and a drop-in day with a barbecue in June.
Mr O’Toole finished by thanking all the volunteers who have made, and continue to make, the association a success.