Tag Archives: Childline

A MEELICK family’s dazzling light show which brought festive cheer to the community has raised €3,300 for charity. Childline has extended a huge thanks to the Hunt family and the wider community of Meelick and beyond for the role they have played in helping to keep its active listening service available to every child and young person in Clare, Limerick and across Ireland. The Hunt family’s spectacular light show ran at their Meelick home for the second year over the Christmas period, with its dazzling colourful lights and crisp music sequences attracting interest and intrigue from near and far. (See Champion story with video here) An 18 foot mega tree, eight mini trees, candy canes and an animated singing Christmas tree were just some of the magical lights which the Hunt family used to festoon their home at the festive period, providing a real treat for the senses to all who visited. The innovative hosts once again generously harnessed the …

THE skin on his hands may be sore and blistered, but for Michael Casey it has all been worth it. The Ennis man has raised more than €10,000 for the ISPCC’s Childline by recently completing 100 pull ups every day for 100 days. And on his final day, he decided to make the challenge even more difficult by doing 800 pull-ups, including 300 with added weights. He explains that he chose to do 800 reps on his final day to represent the 800 children and young people who contact Childline every day. He took on 500 pull ups using his own body weight, another 200 with 10kg attached, 80 more with 20kg and his last 20 reps with 25kg attached. Speaking to the Clare Champion after completing the mammoth endeavour he says, “That was tough, by the end of it I was just doing two reps at a time. Physically that was the hardest part of the whole thing. “I’d …

AN Ennis man is setting the bar high when it comes to giving a lift during lock-down. Michael Casey has given himself the challenge of doing 100 pull ups every day for 100 days, with funds raised going to ISPCC’s Childline. Since starting at the beginning of the new year, the 27-year-old has already raised more than €2,000 and he hopes to exceed this amount as he continues for the coming months. Explaining why he decided to take on the challenge he tells us, “With lock-down so many people are just so depressed, there is a real low mood around the place at the moment and I just wanted to do something to help. I decided that starting on the first of January, in the new year, it might encourage people to focus on the positives in 2021 instead, and leave all of the bad energy of 2020 behind.” Michael is a mental health advocate and has written a book …

Childline, the ISPCC’s listening service for all children and young people in Ireland was busy on Christmas Day. A total of 57 dedicated volunteers from across Ireland provided support to hundreds of children who needed to talk. Christmas Day saw ISPCC volunteers listening to and responding to 1,208 calls, texts and messages from children through Childline’s 24 hour telephone, text and online service, with over 73% of these coming from male contacts. Childline faced an unprecedented funding crisis in 2014, which threatened its ability to maintain the 24 hour nature of the service. Childline reached out to the general public through its emergency appeal and the people of Ireland responded wholeheartedly with donations of €400,000; a reflection of the place that Childline holds in the hearts and minds of the Irish public. Furthermore a recent agreement between Childline and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs will greatly assist in maintaining the overnight service and ensuring that Childline remains open …

A funding agreement, which will assist in ensuring that Childline stays open 24 hours a day, has been confirmed by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and ISPCC/Childline. Recently thse ISPCC, which operates Childline, had warned that funding difficulties in the organisation could force the closure of overnight services. The agreement respects the desire of ISPCC/Childline to remain independent, while at the same time ISPCC has agreed to work with the department in supporting developments in the area of child protection. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly who completed the agreement with Mr Dan Flinter, chairman of the ISPCC, congratulated both sides on the successful discussions that have led to today’s announcement. The agreement will see funding provided over a two year period and is aimed at supporting the ISPCC to return to financial sustainability in respect of the Childline service. Dr Reilly has also strongly welcomed the ISPCC agreement involving his department and the …