Fertiliser and calf feeder up for grabs in Green Cert students’ charity raffle  

Certificate of Agriculture students in Mellows Campus, Athenry have organised an item-packed charity raffle and have committed to climbing Croagh Patrick in the coming weeks.

The 2021/2023 Green Cert class has organised the charity event as part of their team working module.

According to Lisa Brennan, the module strives to “get students to come together to work as part of a team, learn and develop new skills”.

She told That’s Farming that it also aims to enable students to “have some fun, especially with everything going on the last few years, along with raising money for these worthy causes”.

Charity raffle

The student’s first event, which includes a raffle, will take place on Tuesday, April 12^th, 2022.

Charity raffle prizes include:

1. 1 Tonne of 18-6-12 fertiliser or €500;
2. 60L quad sprayer from Quigley’s;
3. €200 voucher for Kevin Burke Tyres;
4. Calf feeder from JFC Tuam;
5. €100 voucher for Rabbitte Motors;
6.  €60 voucher for Raftery’s Restaurant;
7. Voucher for Arrabawn Athenry.

You can purchase tickets – which are priced at €10 – via the following link.

Furthermore, students will climb Croagh Patrick on April 16^th, 2022. Donations for this event are through sponsorship cards, which each student currently holds.

Chosen charities

The charities which the students have chosen for the events are Galway Hospice & Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.

Galway Hospice provides three specialist palliative care services:

1. 18 bedded inpatient unit in Renmore;
2. Community palliative care services;
3. Palliative daycare service.

The HSE defines palliative care as an approach to care that aims to improve the quality of life of people suffering from life-limiting illnesses and to support the person and their family.

Traditionally, hospice care or palliative care was associated with the care of patients with cancer, particularly at the end of their lives.

According to Galway Hospice, palliative care has “changed completed” in recent years.

It states that this approach to care can be “equally helpful” to people who are newly diagnosed with cancer or people who have other life-limiting conditions such as Dementia, Heart Failure, Motor Neurone Disease, etc.

Furthermore, it says that complementary therapies, such as art therapy and aromatherapy, help with relaxation, and occupational therapy and physiotherapy assist with everyday tasks.

Patients are admitted to Galway Hospice for several reasons. According to the hospice, these include symptom control, supportive care following treatment e.g., chemotherapy and radiotherapy, respite care for patients with “complex” needs and for care at end of life.

According to Galway Hospice, each year it discharges more than 50% of inpatients into the community.

Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust

Meanwhile, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust aims to “alleviate the financial hardship of bereaved families repatriating the body (bodies) of a loved one(s) who have died abroad in sudden or tragic circumstances back to Ireland”.

Trust’s aims:

1. Provide financial assistance to bereaved families to repatriate the body (or bodies) of a loved one(s) who died outside Ireland;
2. Maintain the trust as a permanent legacy of Kevin Bell;
3. Sustain the trust by having ongoing fundraising activities;
4. To recruit members of the trust to sustain its purpose and ideals.

Support 

Concluding, Brennan said: “All funds raised here will be divided 50/50 and go directly to these great causes.”

“As a class, we hope you can help us by donating whatever you can and supporting these worthy causes. All donations are processed securely. Feel free to share our event on your social media and with friends and family,” she concluded.