Owel groups host lakeside coffee morning for ‘Éist’

National men’s swimming group, Blueballs Ireland, are organising a lakeside coffee morning on Sunday August 24, at Lough Owel (11am).

The coffee morning is in collaboration with Mullingar-based women’s swimming group, Dips Don’t Lie. It’s in aid of ‘Éist – Saying No to Silence’, a new support organisation aiming to break the silence around rape and sexually motivated crimes.

Blueballs Ireland was launched last summer, and since then, they have gathered 35 active members.

They swim all year round twice a week. Damien Rooney, founder of Blueballs Midlands, said: “We decided that, as part of our birthday celebrations, we would get involved with Éist, along with Dips Don’t Lie, to organise this lakeside coffee morning.

It’s just a chance to help put Éist out there, as they do, and will continue to do, brilliant work.” Damien discussed the importance of supporting other mental health organisations in Westmeath: “We are a community group who support mental health, and as it (Éist) is going to be based in Mullingar, it needs to be supported.

“It’s as simple as one Westmeath community group helping another Westmeath community group.” The photo show members of the Blueballs Midlands group on the diving boards at Lough Owel.