Offaly charity raises a whopping €900,000 for new Midlands Hospice

“A tremendous success” was how Mr. Pat Lalor, Chairman of the local charity Hooves 4 Hospice, described the achievement of the charity, which was established in 2020 by the Tullamore Lions Club, to raise funds to build a hospice for the Midlands.

“We have already raised over €900,000 of our targeted €1 million and the HSE is currently evaluating sites around Tullamore for the new 20 bed unit.”
Pat shared this news with Oaklands Community College staff and students, in Edenderry, during a recent visit to the school to acknowledge receipt of a cheque for €4,020 presented by the school, following a sponsored walk earlier this year.
The sponsored walk was organised by the school’s Ethos Committee, established to promote and support the school’s ethos of Excellence in Education, Care, Respect, Equality and Community. This Ethos is shared by all schools under the auspices of Education and Training Boards Ireland.

Oaklands Community College’s Ethos Committee opted to support the Hooves 4 Hospice charity as part of its commitment to community engagement, convinced that a Hospice has the potential to benefit a great many families at a very vulnerable time in their lives. Currently, regrettably, most patients seeking hospice care must travel to Dublin to avail of this service.
Ms Mairéad O’Shea, Deputy Principal and Chair of the Ethos Committee praised the efforts of the students who participated in the walk and the wider community who sponsored them so generously.  The Committee members also acknowledged the generous support of Bord na Mona Mount Lucas Wind Farm who hosted the event and sponsored the busses that brought the students to Mount Lucas, and Offaly County Council also provided some support through a grant from the Edenderry Municipal District. Oaklands CC would also like to acknowledge Tullamore businesses Guy Clothing and Kode, who donated generous prizes for a draw.
Principal Brian Kehoe expressed satisfaction that the fundraiser had, together with a presentation by Professor Humphrey O’Connor earlier in the year, greatly raised awareness amongst the school community of the role of hospice care and the importance of providing such in this region.
Delighted with the success of the event, the Ethos Committee have decided to continue the school’s involvement with the Hooves 4Hospice charity and plans are afoot for further fundraising this year.  The school community hopes that the wider community will continue to support their charitable endeavours for this very worthwhile cause.