We’ve all been working hard to provide a great quality Care and Repair service to older people in our local communities, and we’ve had a busy year so far. The number of jobs completed to date is 15,118
It really is the combined efforts of our staff, volunteers and community partners and their dedication and passion which enable us to help keep our vulnerable older people safe at home. A very big and heart-felt thank you to you all from all of us.
This year, we are working hard to recruit new community partners in order to reach as many older people as we can.
Introducing Care and Repair Athy!!
On 8th February 2016 we had a very successful launch of Care and Repair Athy in our local Pettit’s SuperValu. The evening was part of an event for the older people of the town and this was a really great way to sign up our first clients. The service is run in conjunction with Kildare Leader Partnership and TUS and we are based in the Athy Enterprise Centre. The office space was kindly supplied by the Rapid Programme to whom we are very grateful. We currently have a number of local volunteers with various skills in carpentry, electrical, gardening etc. Our aim is to help older people in the community by improving their housing conditions, their security and well-being.
In the past few months we have slowly but surely started to help people in our area with a wide variety of jobs/enquiries. We are delighted with our progress in Athy so far, and we are very lucky that through Athy starting this service other areas in Co Kildare are now starting to see the benefits of having a Care and Repair Service in their area, especially with tying in with local groups who can be of mutual benefit to each other. The payback of being able to help somebody with what can be a small but much needed job is beyond words.
Our office is staffed for 20 hours a week and we can be contacted on 087 4422960 or www.athycareandrepair@gmail.com.
Care & Repair Westmeath celebrates the VERY special birthday of a client!!
Hello everyone, Anne here from Westmeath, I’d like to tell you all about a special day we recently celebrated with a special client. Margaret has been a client of ours since 2013, she contacted us to do some gardening for her, and from then on a beautiful friendship was formed. We still cut Margaret’s grass but now she avails of our home visit and contact call service every week.
In April of this year 2016 Margaret celebrated her 100 birthday. Westmeath Community Development through the Care and Repair and Befriending Project organised a little birthday celebration for Margaret in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel in Athlone. The volunteers that visit Margaret each week also attended the celebration, along with local Sgt of Community Policing, and care and repair volunteers. Margaret was born the sixth child in the family of ten in 1916. She hails from a small holding in Co. Roscommon. When Margaret’s day at school was ended, she would then come home and help on the family’s small holding. There was no time to be bored says Margaret as there was always something to be done. Her dad also ran a small shop from the house, and had a travelling shop as it was very hard for people to get to and from the shops in those times, and her dad saw an opening for that little venture.
Black and Tans. Margaret can remember the Black and Tans coming down the road in Roscommon where she lived with her parents when she was five years old. Margaret says I can see them coming down the road as if it was yesterday, she also remembers old IRA calling to her house and asking her dad for money, they would be on the run at that time so Margaret’s dad would give them cigarettes and tobacco.
World War 2:
Margaret nursed in England at the time of World War 2 and nursed the injured troops; she joined the forces as a Reserve. England became a frightening place when the war broke out in 1939. Bombs were dropping all around us recalls Margaret. It was then that Margaret went to nurse the injured troops. As a nurse Margaret recalls the also shared fun and some great times also. Margaret recalls at one time they had a particularly snooty Army Sergeant Major, who had a bit of an attitude towards the Irish. ‘One night while he was under the weather (drunk) and sound asleep we painted his nose green, he complained to matron the following morning, and no one would divulge who was the culprits was that painted his nose’ said Margaret, laughing at the memory. While Margaret lived and nursed in England her favourite pastime was dancing which she enjoyed immensely.
Returned to Ireland:
In 1948 Margaret returned to Ireland to take care of her mum after she fell into bad health. It was then she met Henry her husband, and when Margaret’s mum passed away she returned to England but not one to let her slip out of his sights, Henry followed her. Margaret and Henry returned to Ireland in 1988 to help Brother Frank with a homeless project he had set up. Henry loved the work with the homeless project at the Hermitage off Retreat Road in Athlone. Margaret says she was happy to return to her roots and is grateful to people of Athlone, her adopted county, for their kindness shown to her and Henry. . Margaret and Henry had a very happy marriage for 61 years and in October 2015 Henry passed, she misses him every day. Margaret enjoys excellent health and enjoys when the neighbours and her friend’s call and looks forward to the home visits by C&R volunteers.
All of us here in Age Action would like to wish Margaret a very happy (belated) birthday, and we hope she had a wonderful day of celebrations and many more to come!!
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