Ambitious plan to raise €100,000 for Clonakilty Hospital this year

THERE are ambitious plans to raise over €100,000 for the 120 residents of Clonakilty Hospital this year to improve their quality of life.

This new target follows a fundraiser organised by Cairde Clonakilty Community Hospital to show the community’s support to the staff at the hospital during a recent outbreak of Covid-19 there.

An original target of €10,000 was more than trebled within 24 hours as members of the public donated generously to the fund set up to purchase vouchers from local businesses to be distributed among the hospital staff.

The initiative which was the brainchild of local businessmen and Cairde Committee members Ger Harte and Kevin O’Regan, also saw many local sporting organisations including the local GAA club coming on board and organising events to coincide with the 24 hour challenge fundraiser.

The Cairde committee took a break from their usual focus which has always been to improve the living environment for the 120 residents at the hospital to facilitate the community’s desire to say thanks to the dedicated and caring staff at the hospital according to the Cairde chairman Jim Daly: ‘This was a one off exception where as a committee we felt there was a huge desire from the community to say thank you to the staff at the hospital. We never expected the level of response we received.’

The success of the event has since taken another twist with confirmation that the staff at the hospital have insisted that a large portion of the monies raised go towards a project at the hospital to improve the quality of the lives of the residents for whom this is home.

‘This is clearly the gift that keeps on giving!’ said Jim Daly. ‘The staff at Clonakilty Community Hospital look on themselves and the residents as one big family and have insisted on sharing their good fortune with their extended family.’ He said his committee now hopes to raise over €100,000 this year to improve the quality of life for the residents at the hospital.