Not just ambassadors for Cavan - Strypes’ Enabling gesture

Jenny McGovern

The Strypes are flying high after successful year of European and Japanese tours, countless television appearances, a multitude of high-profile festival gigs, not to mention the release of their debut album, 'Snapshot’...
The foursome, however, have not forgotten their role as youth ambassadors for Enable Ireland and The Strypes recently announced that all the proceeds from their December 27 gig in the Town Hall, Cavan, will be donated to the Cavan branch of Enable Ireland.
Speaking of the charity gig, guitarist Josh McClorey told The Celt: “We’ve visited the Cavan Centre a few times and we really love the work that’s done there.
“We felt that a gig would raise some money and awareness for Enable Ireland and we’re so excited to be able to help.”
Enable provides early services for 190 children in partnership with the HSE and are located at the Hillside complex just outside of Cavan Town.
Enable offers a team-based service providing a holistic service to any child and family coming into the centre.
Social workers, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and child- and family-support workers are all located within the building.

Wonderful gesture
Jane Hand, Early Services Manager for Cavan/Monaghan, told the Anglo-Celt that all of the proceeds from the Strypes’ gig will be allocated towards finishing their hydrotherapy pool.
“Enable Ireland has been in Cavan since 2000, Our current premises was built in 2010, at a cost of €3m.
Around €760,000 is the total cost of the pool and roughly €300,00 has been so far allocated for the sub-structure of the pool.
“When we built this building we didn’t have quite enough funding to complete it fully but we made the decision to build the sub-structure and the shell of the pool, so that once we had raised the money needed to complete the pool, it wouldn’t be a huge disruption,” she said.

Priority
Jane tells the Celt that their priority for 2014 is to make a push on fundraising for the hydrotherapy pool and the contribution from The Strypes is a “wonderful gesture”.
“All the parents who come to our service and communities and schools are really good in terms of fundraising, so we have had a lot of funds coming in and have been earmarking it for the pool.
“Hydrotherapy pools are smaller deeper and warmer than swimming pools, children who have difficulty with movement on solid ground for example those with Cerebal Palsy find that a lot of those difficulties are alleviated with the buoyancy of the water.”
“We are thrilled with the success that they’re having and they’re also helping to highlight disability is a great bonus for us. They are young fellas but they are so mature and so open to the idea, for young lads to be even thinking about disability and for them to be willing to support those in need that means an awful lot, because I think it’s that younger generation that we really need to be targeting,” she said.

Enable Ireland have generously donated two tickets (One Pair) to The Strypes’ sold out hometown gig on December 27.

To be in with a chance of winning these coveted tickets just like and share our Facebook Strypes post and tell us why you want to go!