Westmeath woman has raised €17,000 for Hospice

A Westmeath woman who had a ‘lightbulb moment’ to help out her local Hospice, has raised a staggering €17,000 with the help of her community.

Margaret Henson lost her beloved father Charlie, 69, to lung cancer just three months after his diagnosis in 1989.

And although he did not benefit from Hospice care, she felt compelled to help others who rely on its services.

Now she is encouraging everyone to register to host their own coffee morning as part of Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning for Hospice.

This longstanding and much-loved national event, coordinated by Together for Hospice, takes place on 26th September.

“When he got sick, it was tough. My dad was a farmer; a great, big strong man and I had never seen him sick in my life,” said Margaret, from Rahugh in Kilbeggan.

“He ended up in St Luke’s in Dublin and both my sister and I were pregnant at the time.

“Dad died in June of 1989 and my son was born in July.

“I was coming home one day in 2005 and the radio ad for the coffee morning came on, Marian Finucane was promoting it at the time. For some reason, it hit a nerve and I said ‘I’m going to do it’.

“My dad didn’t have the chance to get Hospice care but I wanted to make sure that I could raise money for people who would get that care and to do my little bit for them.”

That drive to help North Westmeath Hospice has meant Margaret and her friends, including Madeline Daly, have raised €17,000 hosting Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning for Hospice fundraisers.

But the mum-of-three, who is also heavily involved in the Irish Farmers’ Association and the Mullingar Show, insists she could not do it without the tireless efforts of those who bake, donate and attend her event.

It is staged on September 26 at Rahugh Community Hall, across the road from the national school – which played a pivotal role in the success of her debut fundraiser in 2005.

“I am an average-good baker, so I said I’d bake cakes, I rang around a few friends and they volunteered to bake, someone else would make brown bread, others would make scones.

“I got a text sent out from the school, saying we are holding a coffee morning and we started from there.”

A key part of its success, says Margaret, 67, was not charging for anything – but allowing visitors to decide how much they wanted to donate.

“We put a price on nothing, people can take whatever they want and make a donation. If you put a price on things, that’s what you’re going to raise. It worked very well.

“People are very generous, I couldn’t do this if the community in Rahugh didn’t come in behind me and be so supportive year in, year out.

“There are only 80-90 families in my area and the generosity of those people is unbelievable.”

Together for Hospice, The National Hospice Movement, represents 24 Hospice and specialist palliative homecare providers supporting patients and their families across Ireland.

Funds raised locally stay local and go directly to each local Hospice service to innovate, build new facilities, develop new services and deliver quality improvements and extra benefits for their patients and their family members.

Register to host a coffee morning on Thursday, September 26 - or on a date that suits you – at hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 0818 995 996.

If you cannot host or attend a coffee morning, you can make a donation at hospicecoffeemorning.ie/donate.

*Margaret’s Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning for Hospice takes place in Rahugh Community Hall on September 26.