Parents’ moving visit to Nicholas’ Room at Cliffs

A US couple whose newborn son tragically passed away at the Cliffs of Moher in July 2006 have made a moving return visit to the world-famous tourist site.

Delia Garcia-Stokes and Kelly Stokes from Phoenix, Arizona, returned to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience last Sunday to visit the first-aid facility Nicholas’ Room, named in honour of their son and to present a cheque for US$25,000 to the Mayor of Clare, Councillor Christy Curtin, as part of their ongoing commitment to support the provision of first aid facilities and services at the tourist attraction.
First-aid treatment and assistance to over 500 visitors has been provided from Nicholas’ Room since the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre was opened to the public by Clare County Council in February 2007. In addition, thousands of visitors have benefited from the wheelchair loan service, which is also operated from the room. Twenty-four staff at the tourist centre have received advanced first-aid training and the room is equipped to the level of a cardiac ambulance.
Close to one million visitors every year visit the Cliffs of Moher, which are currently shortlisted in a global online campaign to find the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The majority of incidents involve relatively minor injuries but the Nicholas Room has been used to treat everything from dog bites and blisters, heart attacks to broken bones.
Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin was warm in his praise of the Stokes’ generosity. “Your story is an inspiration to all of us and your son’s memory is honoured by all of us here in Clare who hear the story. Nicholas’ Room is a wonderful facility for the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience and has made a difference to so many people in need over the last four years.”
“It warms our hearts to see how many people have benefited from having Nicholas’ Room onsite at such a highly visited spot as the Cliffs of Moher,” he said.
“To know that it is here is so important to us and our family and friends and the community that support us in our fundraising in Phoenix,” said Delia Garcia-Stokes.
The Stokes are supported by the strong relationship that exists between Phoenix and Ennis, as the two cities have been twinned for more than 20 years. Representatives of the Ennis-Phoenix Twinning Board attended the presentation at the Cliffs of Moher on Sunday and made a commemorative presentation on behalf of the board to the couple.
Kelly Stokes spoke about the ongoing relationship with the Cliffs of Moher. “For us, this is an important part of our healing process – a process that will never be over. We want to remain involved in supporting the facility and the staff who provide the first-aid services here and we are working on ideas with the centre to develop the relationship in new ways.”
Katherine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, spoke about the training that staff onsite have received.
“We have 24 frontline staff who have been trained to the level of cardiac first responder, that’s virtually the entire team. There’s a huge enthusiasm for and commitment to providing a full range of first-aid and crisis support here. Delia and Kelly’s support has allowed us to do something here that is very important to us and we really value the relationship,” she said.
The Stokes’ last visit to Ireland was in February 2007, when they attended the official opening of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience. Since then, they have hosted a number of Ennis and Clare visitors to their home in Phoenix and many of their friends and supporters have also made the return journey to County Clare.