CF campaigner wins cathaoirleach's award

Redhills woman Lorraine O’Neill has won the overall Cathaoirleach’s Award for 2016 for her fundraising activities with the Cavan branch of Cystic Fibrosis.
She was presented with her award by the Cathaoirleach Paddy Smith (FG) at a ceremony in the Cavan Crystal Hotel last Friday. Lorraine, whose daughter Mia lives with CF, also received a cheque for €1,000 for the Cavan Cystic Fibrosis Group.
The win as largely as a result of Lorraine’s continuous commitment, passion and dedication to fundraise to deliver two new CF paediatric units at Cavan General Hospital.
The Cathaoirleach’s awards scheme celebrates the work of volunteers who make a difference to their communities because of their hard work, dedication and vision. A total of 43 nominations were received over five award categories - Youth, Social Inclusion, Community, Sports and Active Age. Cllr Smith praised the “immense work” done by volunteers across a range of organisations and clubs in their respective communities.
“They are the people working away behind the scenes, silently and effectively for their communities. The awards are an opportunity for us to say thank you to those people who give so much back to their communities and ask for nothing in return,” he said.
Cllr Smith stated that he was particularly pleased with the number of nominations for the 2016 awards - having grown from 21 in 2015 to 43 this year. “I think that tells its own story about the health of the voluntary sector in Cavan. It tells me that we have a thriving community and voluntary sector here,” he said.
Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Tommy Ryan stated: “the awards show the value that Cavan County Council places on volunteers and the importance of their work within the community.”

CATEGORY WINNER

Youth:
Lorraine O’Neill, Cystic Fibrosis Cavan Branch
Social Inclusion:
Helen O’Reilly, Kilnaleck Community Co-op
Community:
Ciaran Weir, Gallant 15KM Challenge in aid of St Christopher’s Hospice
Sports:
Conor Deery (16), St Aidan’s Comprehensive, All-Ireland Taekwando champion
Active Age:
Dessie Ronan, Forget Me Not Café for people with dementia and their families