May date to break ground on hospice
THERE was great news from Wicklow Hospice this week as the committee announced that it will soon break ground on the long-awaited 15-bed facility at Magheramore.
The sod is set to be turned at the end of May, signalling the start of an 18-month building programme.
‘It has been nine years of hard work and, while many people said it would never happen, the people of Wicklow were never going to give in. Following thousands of generous donations, ground will be broken at the end of May and within six months it is expected to be weather-proof. The internal works will take place in spring/summer of 2019 and the first patients are expected to be facilitated by the end of that year,’ said Evanne Cahill, chairperson of fundraising at Wicklow Hospice Foundation.
Evanne said that there has been such a lot of perseverance and dedication shown by so many people to get the project to where it is.
‘Credit is due to so many people. Even through the recession, support never failed. We have a great group of patrons who really believed in the project and this great outcome is down to everyone who worked so hard,’ she added.
Wicklow Hospice will be run by the same management that is behind Harold’s Cross and Blackrock Hospices and the running costs will be funded by the HSE.
‘ There is a huge amount of expertise there so we are very happy with this outcome. Of course, none of it would have been possible without the support of the Columban Sisters, who provided the site at Magheramore.’
While the project is moving into its final phase, there is still fundraising to be done and Evanne has appealed to the people of Wicklow to continue to show their support.
‘We have the funds to break ground and get the building under way but there is still a bank loan we must continue to pay. Fundraising will be ongoing and we are asking the people of Wicklow to stick with us,’ she said. I will be sitting my Leaving Certificate this year and plan to go to college in the autumn. How do I apply for a student grant?
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