Kilworth group honoured during Volunteer Week 2022

Kilworth Active Retirement Group were amongst those honoured in County Hall last week at a special event to mark the exceptional work done by volunteer groups throughout the county during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During National Volunteer Week 2022, a special celebration took place on Thursday evening for over 120 guests and hosted by Cork County Council.

Peg Sheedy, chair of the Kilworth Active Retirement Group, told The Avondhu of the

variety and range of activities they ran to keep people in touch, and provide a bit of respite from the difficulties of staying isolated and cocooned. In the community garden in Heaphy Grove, Tuesdays and Wednesdays were the place to be last summer, with social events and sports ‘for all ages’.

Mary Thorp, secretary of the group, told of the work they did which led to their nomination.

“We heard from some of our members who were isolating, so we decided to have an outdoor social event in the summer. Originally we intended to have just one, but as people were leaving they said, can we come again next week?

And so then we made it a weekly social event on Wednesdays, with bingo, general knowledge quizzes and a singalong.”

With equipment from Cork Sports Partnership, soon Tuesday mornings were also seeing action.

“We had games by the tennis courts; boules and skittles, and then for the younger or more energetic!, we had short tennis lessons on the court.”

RECOGNITION

Other local groups who were recognised for their efforts during the pandemic were Fermoy Community Resource Centre, Mallow Sheltered Care, and the Civil Defence units of North, South and West Cork. Udarás na Gaeltachta, ALONE, AWARE, CRiTiCall Cork, and the Cork County Older People’s Council were also amongst the 25 groups recognised throughout the county.

Run in conjunction with the Cork Volunteer Centre, and with support from the Department of Rural and Community Development, a wide range of nominations were received on behalf of individuals and groups including sports clubs, meals on wheels, branches of the Red Cross and the Civil Defence. The event also included representatives from Cork County Council’s Covid19 Community Support Programme.

Last Thursday’s event was a chance for volunteers to be recognised for their remarkable work during some very difficult times, and they were commended for their work by the Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey, and the mayor, Cllr Gillian Coughlan.

(Pic: Colm Lougheed) Volunteers throughout Cork, including local Garda Chief Superintendent Con Cadogan, Fermoy and his serving Gardai, who selflessly gave their time to help others during the Covid-19 pandemic, were honoured and recognised by the Cork Volunteer Centre and Cork County Council at a special event to coincide with National Volunteer Week 2022. Pictured at the event were, l-r: Eimer O’Brien, Cork County Library; Liz Maddox, Chair of Cork County Older People’s Council; Cllr. Ian Doyle; Tim Lucey, CE of CCC; Adam Lacey, Cork Volunteer Centre; Mayor Gillian Coughlan; Con Cadogan, Garda Chief Superintendent; Cllr. Mary Linehan-Foley; Eleanor O’Regan, HSE; Bishop of Cork and Ross, Fintan Gavin and Judith Gilbert, Comhar na nOiléan.

(Pic: Colm Lougheed) Kilworth Active Retirement Group members Peg Sheedy, chair and Mary Thorp, pictured with Cllr Gillian Coughlan, Mayor of County Cork and Adam Lacey, manager of Cork Volunteer Centre.