First responders team takes top gong at Cathaoirleach’s awards

The Mullingar First Responders Group has been named as winner of the overall Westmeath Cathaoirleach awards held earlier this (Friday) evening at Belvedere House, coming in ahead of 27 other nominees.

Other major award recipients were Kathleen O’Neill, nominated by Clonmore Heights Residents Association; who won the Community Involvement award; Noel O’Callaghan, nominated by Mullingar Heritage and Folklore Project, who received the Children and Youth Supports Award; Mary Carpenter, of the 1428 Club, recipient of the Active Elderly Award.

The Equality and Social Inclusion category winner was Athlone Community Radio; the Environment and Heritage Award went to Ballymore Tidy Towns and Kim Magee, nominated by Mullingar Town Band, was awarded the Recreation and Sport category award.

Master of ceremonies, Annette Barr-Jordan, explained that the Cathaoirleach’s Awards are given in recognition of voluntary work by individuals and groups.

Naming the Mullingar First Responders Group as winners of the Group of the Year award, Ms Barr-Jordan stated that the volunteers, who work in tandem with the HSE save lives.

“Their volunteers, who are trained to recognise severe life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR and use a defibrillator. In many cases across the country, these groups play a vital role in keeping people alive until paramedics arrive. Rather than take the place of paramedics from the National Service, this group provides an extra link in the chain of survival,” she stated

“One of the most one of the other most important functions for the group is to provide training to the wider community in potentially life-saving techniques,” Ms Barr Jordan told the gathering.

Two communities received Pride of Place awards – Ballymore Village and Fore Amenity Group, both of which are representing Westmeath in the national Pride of Place competition, the results of which are due in February.

The winner of the Westmeath Project of the Year was the Moate Community Development Association, one of 28 projects nominated for the award: “The calibre of the applications received was very high, and it was a difficult task for the subcommittee to select a winner, Ms Barr-Jordan said.

The winning group was, she continued, one that dedicates itself to the provision of quality, culture, artistic education and social events for the benefit of the community.

She continued: “Its board took the decision to develop and expand their mission and conference operations in 2020 and included a new digital hub for remote working and associated technology. Furthermore, the group plan to increase the use of its 173-seat theatre to allow local groups and organisations to meet, while remaining socially distanced.

Naming the winners of the Age Friendly Recognition Scheme as Castledaly Ladies and Gentlemen’s Club, Ms Barr-Jordan explained that the award was intended to honour groups and organisations who have carried out extraordinary work for and with older people in the community. The Castledaly club had, Ms Barr-Jordan said, worked right through the pandemic delivering meals to older people in and around their community.

“Members not only delivered the meals, but they also cooked them and along with the hot hearty meals, additional extras were delivered which included knitting materials, which grateful recipients turned into patchwork pieces for inclusion in a countywide patchwork quilt; bingo cards for the following week’s bingo and reading books. The volunteers also recorded any issues that people had and followed up on these issues on behalf of the order person with the relevant agency.”

Ms Barr-Jordan said that three years ago, Westmeath County Council introduced its STEM awards to demonstrate its interest in the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the county. The grant awards about to be presented, she said, were for the 202 applicants as well as those for 2021.

The 2020 winners were Midlands Science for a series of online programmes for schools; Mullingar Town Band for purchase of a PC with music software for sound recording and editing, plus training for tutors to pass skill in the use of this technology to younger members; Midlands Amenity Park, Dún na Sí which has, among its amenities an education centre, which is a recognised discovery primary science and math centre as well as a seven acre wetland reserve.

Cara Phort Family Resource Centre, Ballynacargy, was selected for a number of youth activities to encourage children to participate more fully in education, perform better in exams and open them to greater subject options for the leaving certificate, further education and employment options; and Local Link, Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon received help to fund a local school working on a project to examine the maths of route planning; and Tuar Ard Arts and Enterprise Centre received aid to host the performance group Strong Women Science starring two women scientists turned circus performers.

The 2021 grants were awarded to Athone Family Resource Centre to run Junior Einstein science camps for children in socio-disadvantaged areas of Athlone; Moate Men's Shed to install an automated sprinkler system, which can reduce water use in its greenhouse by up to 40%; Dean Crowe Arts Centre, to run a young technicians programme for students to develop technical theatre skills; Fore Heritage and Amenity Group to work with Inland Fisheries to improve biodiversity along the source of the river Inny; Streamstown Junior Tidy Village to develop a sensory garden; and Midlands Amenity Park, Dún na Sí for the purchase of accessible STEM teaching equipment.

The full list of nominees for this year’s awards was: Anne and Luke Lynam, nominated by Dun na Si, Moate; Anne Dowdall, nominated by Tyrrellspass Forever Friends; Athlone Family Resource Centre; Athlone Community Radio; Peter McGrath, representing Ballymore Tidy towns; Betty Whitney, nominated by Rathowen Community Development; Clonmellon Community Council, nominated by Clonmellon Steering Group; Mullingar First Responders; Debbie Daly, nominated by the 1428 Club; Grace Grouden, nominated by Athlone Girl Guides; Ballinalack Tidy Towns; Helen Donnelly, nominated by The Chime Network; Jimmy Redmond, nominated by Moate Tidy Towns; Joe Mullen, nominated by Ashcroft Park Residents Association; John Greene, Moate Action Group; Jack O’Sullivan, nominated by the Columb Barracks Regeneration and Restoration Committee; Dave Stafford, nominated by Mullingar Community First Responders; John Tynan, representing Athlone Access Awareneess, nominated by AIRC Midlands; Kathleen O’Neill, nominated by Clonmore Heighits Residents Association; Mary Carpenter, nominated by the 1428 Club; Kim Magee, nominated by Mullingar Town Band; Noel O’Callaghan, nominated by Mullingar Heritage and Folklore Project; Marie Allen, representing Mount Temple Active Age Group; Mick O’Neill, nominated by The 1428 Club; Pat Collins, nominated by Mullingar Shamrocks; Patsy McCormack, nominated by Moate Community Development Association; Shane Kelly, nominated by Kinnegad Action Group.

Speakers at the event were the 2020/2021 cathaoirleach, Ken Glynn; writer Patricia Gbney, and council CEO, Pat Gallagher.