Tag Archives: volunteers

A group of 14 volunteers from West Clare are set to travel to Zambia next week to volunteer their skills with school projects there. Clare to Kabwe supports projects in the town of Kabwe, Zambia and volunteers from West Clare travel there every year linking up with the Irish Zambia Aid Project, Zamda Ireland. Ahead of travelling to Zambia, their aim has been to raise €20,000 to build a special needs classroom and first aid room for the Zamda Ireland run school. Zamda Ireland is a registered charity which was established in 2004 by Padraig O’ Fainin and his wife, and runs a centre called Sables Nua for the most vulnerable children in Kabwe. A refuge of happiness and hope, it offers food, clothing, medical care, emergency overnight accommodation, counselling, education and vocational training for over 300 orphaned and vulnerable children. Many of the children come from the street of Kabwe and Lusaka; they have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS, …

Lough Derg RNLI is recruiting new volunteers to join their lifesaving team for shore duty in roles as Deputy Launching Authority, Additional Lifeboat Mechanic and Tractor Driver.   According to a spokesperson for Lough Derg RNLI shore crew “have a central role in securing the safety of the lifeboat and the men and women launching their craft to rescue those in peril on the water. They ensure the successful and smooth operations of the RNLI’s lifesaving work within the station. “As a volunteer with the RNLI you will gain new skills and enjoy the satisfaction of giving back to your community. The RNLI will provide all training to fulfil your role. You will be supported at all times by the close team of existing volunteers at the station and by the RNLI.” The role of Deputy Launching Authority has been described as “central to operations within all RNLI lifeboat stations, as this volunteer initiates the launch of the lifeboat when requested by …

A FLEET of volunteer vans will be back out on the roads in West Clare supporting those who may need extra help as Level 5 restrictions return in an effort to control Covid-19. Miltown Malbay man Stephen Downes ran the initiative last March, and said that he hopes once again to support the community over the dark winter evenings. “People face new challenges this time around because we’re hearing into the long nights and cold days,” Mr Downes said. “There’s a lot of fear around and some people don’t like going out if they’re elderly or at risk. Once again, we’re offering to collect shopping for people and deliver it to their doors. We’ll drop around and pick up a list and do our best to help ensure that people are looked after.” The decision to go back out on the roads was prompted by news of the return to Level 5 restrictions. “We really need to try to pull together again,” he said. “People are feeling …

  TWO local organisations are seeking six extra volunteer wardens to monitor long distance walking trails in the county. Clare Local Development Company and Clare Sports Partnership are expanding the “Clare Trail Volunteer Warden” programme. Clare has 420km of trails including long distance walking trails like The Burren Way and East Clare Way, looped walking trails Like Lough Avalla Farm Loop and the Ballyvaughan Wood Loop and on-road cycling trails in Loop Head and Doolin. The trails are managed by a variety of local community groups, Clare Local Development Company, Clare Trails ltd, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Coillte. Eoin Hogan, rural recreation officer for Clare explained the biggest challenge with managing an off road trails such as the Lough Avalla Farm Loop, the Burren Way and the East Clare Way is finding out about the issues that might need addressing, such as broken stiles, missing directional sign. “The goal of our initiative is to expand the already successful …

THIRTY years after Lissycasey native, Sr Ethel Normoyle established the Missionvale Care Centre in South Africa, volunteers who have worked on the project, which helps the destitute, are to come together for a special fundraising initiative. On Saturday, volunteers, the majority of whom are from Clare, will gather in the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis to launch the fundraiser ‘30k for 30 Years’, a campaign in which they have set themselves a target of raising €30,000. Missionvale Care Centre, which was founded by Sr Ethel in 1988, is a non-profit organisation operating in the township of Missionvale in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Since its origin, operating from under a tree, Sr Ethel has grown the care centre into a facility that provides love and care for the poor and destitute. The care centre offers basic necessities to the estimated 25,000 residents of the Missionvale Township, including food, clothing, heathcare and education. The Missionvale Ireland charity was subsequently established in 2008 …

THE positivity that surrounded the huge level of voluntary participation in the London Olympics has been likened to that which was seen in Ennis for the 2016 All-Ireland Fleadh. “In London, people got involved in the event by volunteering to help in many ways. It was a sense of ownership, there was plenty to do,” commented Sharon Meaney, development manager of Clare Volunteer Centre Team. “In Ennis last year, there was also a strong sense of ownership of the Fleadh. A total of 1,549 volunteers registered with us and many more helped directly at camp sites. “As well as people from the town and Clare, we had volunteers from the UK and much farther afield. They were from diverse backgrounds, all spectrum of society, and what was very encouraging for us was the fact that 10% of the total were under 18. “One of the lovely aspects about the profile of the volunteers was family support. We had quite a …

The Ennis and Clare branch of the Samaritans has launched an appeal for more volunteers in a bid to maintain its support services. People are urged to visit the Samaritans office on the Kilrush Road this Thursday evening at 8pm or on Saturday morning at 11am, where they will be provided with details on how to become a Samaritan. A spokesperson for the Clare branch said new volunteers are urgently needed to avoid the prospect of any reductions in the current service, which the branch hopes will not be necessary. It provides a non-judgemental confidential listening service from Monday to Friday and Sunday from 8am to 3.30am with a 24-hour service on Saturday. People can drop-in to have a face-to-face listening session from 10am to 10pm and there are up to 50 of these visits to their office on the Kilrush Road on a monthly basis. Following the introduction of the new freephone number, the branch recorded over 18,000 calls last …

LAST year saw an increase of volunteer registrations with the Clare Volunteer Centre, bringing the total number of volunteers registered to more than 1,400 people, who contributed over 8,563 hours to the local community – up from 7,949 in 2013. These volunteers are only a small fraction of the estimated 41% of Irish people who volunteered in 2014. Of the volunteers who signed up in 2014, the most popular areas of interest were befriending/mentoring, retail and teaching/tutoring. The most popular reasons for wanting to volunteer were, to assist career/employment prospects and to make a difference in the community. Nearly two-thirds of the volunteers who signed up with the Clare Volunteer Centre last year had never volunteered before and more than 160 community and voluntary organisations are now registered with Clare Volunteer Centre. Commenting on 2014, Sharon Meaney, manager with the Clare Volunteer Centre, said, “Every year, we are delighted to see the registration figures for the Clare Volunteer Centre increasing. …