Supporting the Christmas Day Swim

Milford Care Centre, Grow Mental Health (Mid-West) and Ormond Special Olympics (Sports Club) are the beneficiaries of this year’s Christmas Day Swim at Youghal Quay.

Located in Castletroy, Limerick, Milford Care Centre is a hospice inpatient unit that has been availed of by a great many North Tipperary families. Milford provides multiple services to the community, including hospice at home services, a nursing home, and day care for both the older person and people with palliative care needs.

Grow Mental Health is a community of people drawn together by our first-hand experiences of mental health challenges. Having found practical ways of helping each other recover from mental health challenges or life struggles, we developed what we refer to as the Grow Programme.

We meet weekly in locations all over Ireland and online. All our group supports are free for over 18s with no referral needed, no waiting lists and our meetings are confidential and carried out in a supportive setting. We use our proven 12 Steps of Growth and Recovery and the Grow Programme to help people help themselves to take back control over their own lives.

Grow operates eight in-person meetings across the Mid-West each week. Four of these take place in Limerick, two in Ennis, one in Croom and one in Templemore.

We hope with the aid of this funding to develop our service across North Tipperary. This funding will enable us to secure safe and comfortable venues for those wishing to avail of peer support for their mental health through the Grow Programme.

Ormond Special Olympics will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year. Now run by Liadhan Hassett, who took over the reins from Pauline Nugent, the local club trains every week at Nenagh College. Parents are encouraged to become coaches, and training is provided so that athletes can progress.

The athletes take part in regular events including national Community Games. All funds raised locally are spent on local athletes and assist with their training, which often involves trips to Dublin.

Last year’s Christmas Day Swim raised more than €20,000. The popular local event has proven a great support to many a deserving cause over the years. This Christmas will see the 34th annual swim. Sponsorship cards are now in circulation and people are kindly asked to support those taking part in the swim.