Civic reception honour for volunteer groups

A UNIQUE occasion recognising the valuable work of volunteers in Clare took place this week as Clare County Council recognised three different sectors of community life with a civic recognition ceremony.

Nine search and rescue groups: Clare Civil Defence; Doolin Rescue; Ennis Sub Aqua Club; Kilkee Marine Rescue; Bunratty Search and Rescue; St Caimin’s Search and Rescue; Killaloe Ballina Search and Rescue; Lahinch Search and Rescue and Burren Sub Aqua Club, along with Clare Community Games and the St Joseph’s Arts Project, were all recognised for their contributions to the community.
Speaking at the event, Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin, outlined that this is the first time that the council had honoured the voluntary service and endeavour of three different sectors of community life within the county.
He praised all of the groups saying, “The commitment and loyalty of these groups to unselfishly care and the generosity of concern for the welfare of their fellow man is unequalled.”
He commented that the event marked a start to formal recognition of voluntary efforts and contributions to the life of the county. “It marks the distinctive features of the noble ideals of working in partnership and commitment for an improved standard of community services. It is the new agenda as we embark on the road to recovery on the economic and social front in the county.”
Speaking about the recipients at this week’s reception, he stated, “The personnel involved in these particular projects work with the same ethos and spirit of time-sharing for the common good with limited remuneration. They have demonstrated in their various activities that the concept of true volunteering is alive and well in Clare and that in these times of diminished financial budgets it is the ideal working model of partnership with statutory bodies that enhances delivery of better services in sport, music, care for elderly and safety programmes.”
Acknowledging the search-and-rescue groups he thanked them for their “bravery and response at time of emergency”.
“This county, with an infrastructure of 4,000km road network, 100km of coastline and the wide expanse of the River Shannon, is fortunate to have available such an invaluable resource at time of need.”
He outlined that the Clare Community Games celebrated 40 years of service in 2010. It is estimated that the games caters annually for 10,000 children aged between six and 15. “We salute the loyal core of organisers within the movement for their continued commitment to the organisation over those years and wish you well in the years ahead,” commented the mayor.
For the past eight years, several of Clare’s finest and most talented musicians, singers and storytellers have been involved in the St Joseph’s Arts Project.
According to Councillor Curtin, the project has “enriched the lives of the residents in the hospital”. Named A Time to Seek, the project is guided by artist in charge, Eleanor Feely. “They have made a difference to the quality of life enjoyed by the participants and raised the spirits of a generation of Clare people who paved the way in earlier days for a better county,” he commented at the reception.