TRALEE NEWS: Local Woman Ann Marie Is Looking To Raise Funds To Help Sister Suffering With M.S

Posted in Fundraising, Local News by Fergus Writes Things

Ann Marie Heaslip is hoping to buy a wheelchair accessible car for her sister Carmel.

ONE TRALEE woman is currently in the midst of a tireless fundraising campaign that she has set up in the hopes of providing a better way of life for her sister.

Tralee’s Ann Marie Heaslip is the driving force behind the campaign through which she hopes to raise enough funds to help buy a wheelchair accessible car for her sister Carmel, who has been living with the debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis (M.S) for the past ten years.

The indomitable sisters are originally from Tipperary, but have been living here in town for the past 18 years. They are hoping that the goodwill of the public, along with a few entertaining fundraising events along the way will be enough to secure the much needed resources.

They have first set up an online fundraiser (click here) with an initial goal of €10,000, but Ann Marie admits that it could still end up costing a lot more than this.

“It’s [the online fundraiser] is trying to raise funds to get a wheelchair accessible car for my sister, Carmel. She has M.S and she’s been wheelchair bound for the last ten years,” said Ann Marie talking to Fergus Dennehy recently.

“She actually can’t go anywhere independently anymore and it costs a fortune if she wants to go anywhere outside of Tralee really. We were thinking that we could get a car and then maybe somebody could drive her around. It’s going to cost a lot, so at the moment, we’re looking at raising the more realistic figure of around €10,000,” she continued.

“We’re trying to get a concert going aswell; I’ve been scouting around looking for a suitable place. Getting the musicians won’t be a problem; we’ve so many family and friends that are musically minded that they’d love to help out,” she said.

“People have been suggesting a cake sale aswell, we’re maybe looking at a little event before Christmas with carol singing being one that has been suggested,” she finished.

If anyone would like to donate to the online fundraising campaign, you can do so by clicking HERE.

So far, the campaign has manged to raise just over €185 of the €10,000 goal. Ann Marie is hoping that more coverage of the campaign will help her reach the goal.

If anyone would like to help Ann Marie in setting up any fundraising activities, she said she would be more than delighted with the help and that you can contact her with ideas on (087) 795 3066.

12Nov2015

TRALEE NEWS: Tralee Scout Troop Raised Money Recently For Temple Street Children’s Hospital

Posted in Charity, Local News by Fergus Writes Things

1st Kerry Scouts helped to raise money for the Temple Street Childrens Hospital with their inaugural Halloween disco.

THE LEADERS in the 1st Kerry Scout Troop here in Tralee were certainly kept busy at the recent Halloween weekend when they welcomed into their den all sorts of ghoulish creatures as part of their inaugural fancy dress disco, in which they managed to raise up to €170 for a worthy cause.

The disco, which was attended by a whole host of terrifying witches, vampires, ghouls and mummies, was held in aid of the Temple Street Children’s University Hospital which provides health care to some of Ireland’s sickest children.

The night saw children from the ages of 6-12 years’ old dress head to toe in their best costumes and head down to the Scout Hall, located on Matt Talbot Road, for a night of sweets, dancing and a whole lot of fun on behalf of the charity organisation.

“It’s a fantastic thing to collect for really, I suppose we were trying to instill a sense of community spirit into our youth members and it’s also part of our programme that we run a community event. So, we thought about this a little bit and we thought ‘what better way to enhance the community spirit’ [than to arrange the disco] and do a little good aswell,” said Jimmy O’Donnell, Group Leader for the troop.

“We invited the girl guides and the brownies and we sent out word to every other scout group in town aswell to join us. We charged three euro in and everything else (tea, coffee and biscuits), it was all donated,” he continued.

“It was mainly a disco for the younger people, for children. We had realised that there was no event like it in town for that age group [6-12 years] that parents could take their kids to,” he said.

This writer paid a trip down to the event and judging by the hoots and howls of laughter emanating from the flashing lights of the ‘disco hall’; it was certainly an event that was enjoyed by all that attended.

The success of it has already led the leaders of the troop to turn their heads to next year and the disco becoming possibly an annual event, in which the troop will raise for a different charity every year.

“We might look at something else next year aswell, for another specific charity, but I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he finished.

11Nov2015

KERRY VIDEO: This Stunning Footage Of Carrauntoohil Will Leave You In Awe

Posted in Local News, Scenery by Fergus Writes Things

Check out the amazing new footage of Carrauntoohill.

I’VE SAID it before and I’ll say it again, here in Kerry, we truly do live in a ridiculously beautiful part of the world.

Never before has this been more evident than in the new footage of Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil that was recently uploaded to YouTube by the channel ‘Digital Rising’.

The 1-minute 44-second long clip has already been viewed more 10,000 times and features absolutely stunning shots of the surrounding Kerry countryside.

For anyone that has never had the fortune to experience the mountain first hand, the clip serves to highlight the sheer scale and beauty that it offers to climbers.

Enough rambling however, you can check it out for yourself down below…

11Nov2015

KERRY NEWS: A Yellow Weather Warning Has Been Issued For Kerry For Later This Week

Posted in Local News by Fergus Writes Things

Met Eireann have issued a weather warning for parts of Kerry for later this week.

THERE’S set to be great drying weather out there later this week after a status yellow weather warning was issued for Kerry.

Winds of up to 100km/h are expected to bombard Kerry, Roscommon, Clare, Cork, and Limerick with the weather warning set to go live early tomorrow morning.

“Southerly winds, later veering southwest then west, with mean speeds of 45 to 55 km/h, will gust between 90 and 100 km/h. Winds will be strongest near coastal areas,” read the statement on the Met Eireann website.

The warning will be valid from 6am on the morning of Thursday November 12th and will then stay in place until the same time on Friday, November 13th.

11Nov2015

TRALEE NEWS: Help A Local Community Project Secure Vital Funds By Voting In Video Competition

Posted in Local News by Fergus Writes Things

Inspired are looking to the public to help secure votes.

ONE LOCAL community development project is currently looking to the public to help them secure votes in the ‘Better Together’ video competition which offers a cash prize of €2,000 and which would go a long way in helping the work of the project.

The Tralee based group ‘Inspired’ is the group involved, it is a project that is aimed at working with adults with various learning difficulties and helping them to develop their personal, educational and employment skills.

The ‘Better Together’ video competition is one that provides an opportunity for Irish community and volunteer organisations, NGO’s and clubs to show the rest of the country the work that they do in making the world just a little better.

The selfless team of local volunteers and adults involved in the ‘Inspired’ project are consistently working to better themselves and the community around them with the work that they do, but are now seeking your assistance aswell.

They are asking the public to vote for their video (watch down below) through the ‘Better Together’ voting website HERE.

Voting can be done every day and from multiple devices aswell, the competition will close on November 20th with the awards set to take place on December 9.

Watch ‘Inspired’s’ video entry down below…

10Nov2015

TRALEE NEWS: Tralee Community Responders To Discuss Programme At Public Meeting This Month

Posted in Local News by Fergus Writes Things

The Tralee CFR Scheme will hold a public meeting in the Brandon Hotel on Thursday, November 26th.

MEMBERS of the public that are interested in becoming a community responder are being encouraged to come along to one of the first ever public meetings for the new Tralee Community Responders Scheme.

The ‘Tralee Community Responders Scheme’ is a new local scheme being set up that will see members of the community trained in various medical situations and who will then then provide assistance to the Ambulance Service in various life threatening emergencies.

Volunteers with the scheme will attend calls for choking, stroke, chest pain and cardiac arrest. over a 6km radius from here in town.

The meeting for this group will take place on Thursday, November 26 in the Brandon Hotel, where any information that volunteers may need will be given.

The national representative body for Community First Responders, CFR Ireland, as well as the National Ambulance Service’s CFR Coordinator will attend and speak at the meeting.

The topics that are set to be discussed at the meeting will include:
• What is a CFR scheme?
• What do they do?
• Why one is needed in Tralee?
• Benefits of a CFR scheme
• Setup Costs
• Journey from start to “going live” with the National Ambulance Service.

There are already over 20 people signed up as responders/fundraisers on the scheme so if you, or anyone you know are interested in joining, you are encouraged to come along.

The Tralee Community Responders website can be found HERE . A Facebook page for the group can be found HERE as well.

10Nov2015

TRALEE NEWS: Patients At Kerry General Hospital At High Risk Of Infection According To New Report

Posted in Local News, Tralee by Fergus Writes Things

A new HIQA report has stated that patients in KGH are at a high risk of infection.

A REPORT compiled by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has found that patients in the Kerry General Hospital are at a high risk of infection due to a substandard physical enviornment.

The report which was compiled in July of this year, the first of two reports compiled on the hospital, found that high risk findings were identified in relation to the maintenance and infrastructure of the Operating Theatre Complex, the infrastructure of the Oncology Day Unit and the management of the legionella related risk.

The physical enviornment within the hospital was reported to have been below the national and international standard required to reduce the risk of infection to patients.

It is stated in the report that “extensive deficiencies in the maintenance in the hospital physical environment were
observed by inspectors in the Operating Theatre Complex. Overall, the Operating Theatre Complex was dilapidated with several areas of ceilings, walls, woodwork,and floors significantly damaged, worn and non-intact to the extent that they could not be cleaned effectively, and facilitated the production and accumulation of dust.”

It goes on to state the the findings were “unacceptable” in any clinical area but are of particular concern in high risk clinical areas such as operating theatres.

The findings of the follow up report, compiled in August of this year, were significantly more positive it seems after it was stated that numerous plans had been put in place by hospital authorities to oversee the improvements in the required areas of the hospital.

You can read the full HIQA report on the Kerry General Hospital HERE.

9Nov2015

TRALEE NEWS: Local Scout Leader On Look Out For Adult Members To Join New Scout Troop

Posted in Local News, Scouting Ireland, Tralee by Fergus Writes Things

Jason Kelly is on the look out for new adult members for his Rover troop.

ONE LOCAL SCOUT leader is on the lookout for any like-minded individuals in the county that would be interested in joining the new ‘Rover Troop’ that he is in the midst of setting up.

The new group would involve hiking, camping, mountaineering and a whole host of other outdoor activities.

Ardfert’s Jason Kelly is an experienced scout through and through having joined the historic and popular organisation close to six years ago and who is now on the hunt for any individuals out there, experienced or complete beginners, to join in with the new up and coming troop.

“Well, Rovers’ is the eldest youth member section (18 – 26 years) within Scouting Ireland. It’s the last section before you move onto becoming a ‘Scouter’, or Leader, as it would more commonly be called,” said Jason talking to the Tralee Outlook on Tuesday.

“Rovers has been gone from Kerry for a long time now, and myself along with another Rover in the county, Michael, from Killorglin, are looking to get it back going again,” he continued.

“The Crew, or Troop, will plan, do, and review all their own activities, which could range from anything from the traditional
scouting activities such as camping and hiking, to partaking in national activities such as ‘Rover Chill’, or going to international events such as ‘Rover Way’ & Jamboree, or just a nice quiet pint down the pub!,” he said.

What kind of people would they be looking for in the new troop then?

“What we’re looking for is anyone between the ages of 18 and 26, who would be interested, to get in contact as soon as possible. We’ve already put a few people together, but the more people we have the more activities and opportunities will be open to us. No previous experience of Scouting is necessary, but we do ask for genuine interest,” he finished.

Anyone looking to find out more information or sign up right away can do so by getting contact with either Jason (086 261 9877) or Michael (0851471799).