€7,000 for cancer services in Kerry
THE Portmagee Christmas Day Swim has raised a total of €65,000 since it began in 2009 and all money has since been donated to cancer services in Kerry.
This year, the organisers are delighted to announce that the 2018 Christmas Day swim raised a grand total of €7,000, which has since been donated to the Kerry Hospice Foundation (KHF).
The organisers wish to sincerely thank everyone who braved the cold water at 9.30am on Christmas morning to raise money, and to all those people who gave so generously and those who came along in the morning just to support the swimmers.
They would like to thank you all for your help, support and goodwill, which exceeds expectations each year.
They look forward to welcoming you all again on Christmas Day 2019 for their 10th annual Christmas Day Swim.
The Kerry Hospice Foundation provides a valuable service to the people of Kerry.
The foundation has raised and spent €3.6million to complete the Palliative Day Care Centre which opened in 2017.
Kerry Hospice has funded the building of a 15-bed purpose-built in-patient unit at the cost of €6.5million and has a long-standing commitment to financially support the Palliative Care Service and the Home Care service in Kerry each year at the cost of approximately €100,000.
The Kerry Hospice Foundation has committed €400,000 for the first five years to the in-patient unit to help fund all the services.
It also provides funding for extra nursing care including night and twilight nursing in people’s homes, and refurbishing hospice rooms in some of the community hospitals.
The Foundation supports patients who require palliative care beds/care in designated nursing homes; palliative care equipment; aids and appliances to enable people to live more comfortably at home; and also extra support for patients and their families.
It also provides for ongoing education of nurse specialists and members of the multidisciplinary team in specialist palliative care.