Charity Support

It's always great to know we are supporting a worthy, local cause. Thanks to Brian and Courtwood GAA for this lovely letter...

Courtwood GAA club are very grateful for the continuing and generous support from Rosie and Jim and we are very proud of the successful business that has been set up by this local couple. They have kindly sponsored our annual Family Fun Day road race, the Canal 5K, since its inception in 2010. The money that events such as these bring in helps to fund the activities and we would not be able to function without this support. In addition to this Rosie and Jim has also sponsored club gear bags and club team ware since 2014.
Courtwood GAA is a Gaelic football club, located in the north east corner of County Laois in Ireland. The club is located in the eastern half of Emo parish with a small catchment area south of the village of Ballybrittas and mainly covered by the local school Rath NS. This catchment area is bordered on one side by County Kildare and by neighbouring clubs in Laois, Annanough, O'Dempseys and Emo. Although we have previously competed in the Junior C hurling championship, at adult level, the club is a football club only. We field football teams in the Intermediate and Junior C championships.

At juvenile level Courtwood plays in an amalgamation with fellow parishioners, Emo, called St. Paul’s. Courtwood also amalgamate with Emo and The Rock at minor and Under 21 level.  Through our juvenile club we provide facilities to over 200 children and young people across all of our teams, and once again Rosie and Jim have been very generous in their support for our endeavours at underage level.
The current Courtwood club was reformed in 1962. However there has been a long tradition of Gaelic football in the Courtwood area since the foundation of the GAA in 1884, evidence exists of a club named Courtwood existing as early as 1888 and competing in the earliest known Laois Senior Football Championships. The 1892 Laois Senior Football Championship final was actually played in Courtwood.
Down through the years Courtwood has enjoyed success on the field of play. Courtwood has won the Laois Junior Football Championship three times (1970, 1986 and 2014) and the Laois Intermediate Football Championship twice (1971 and 1987) and won one league title Laois All-County Football League Division Three in 2015. In 2006 Courtwood won the Laois Junior "C" Football Championship.

At underage level, Courtwood have successfully combined with Emo on a number of occasions to win county titles. The two club won the Laois Minor Football Championship in 1964 and 1965 and the Laois under 21 Football Championship in 1966 and 1967. The two clubs also combined to win the Under 21 title again in 1989 and 1990 and the Under 21 B title again in 2012.
Courtwood, on its own, won the 2003 Laois Minor "B" Football Championship and Emo/Courtwood accomplished this in 2008. In 2011 and 2012, an Emo, Courtwood and The Rock minor combination won two Laois Minor "B" Football Championships and two Laois Minor Football League B titles.

Courtwood is the home club of Fergal Byron, the 2003 All-Star goalkeeper who was also instrumental in Laois's 2003 Leinster SFC triumph. He was joined in 2007 on the Laois senior panel by Niall Donoher, a minor and under 21 star with Laois.  
In 2014, former Courtwood player Eddie Kinsella refereed the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final between Kerry and Donegal, with his four umpires Alan O'Halloran, Pat O'Connell, Arthur O'Connor and Niall Murphy also all club members.

Once again we would like to thank Rosie and Jim for all of their support over the last five years and we wish them every success and look forward to working with them into the future.

Brian Nolan
Secretary, Courtwood GAA

Like Courtwood GAA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtwood.gaa

Follow them on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/courtwoodgaa

We're excited to share a glimpse into the life of Pepe, one of the charming Irish Guide Dogs puppies sponsored by Rosie & Jim!  With his puppy raiser, Jacqui, in Rathfarnham, Pepe is truly 'flying it' in his training.
Under the guidance of Jacqui, one of the most experienced puppy raisers with Irish Guide Dogs, Pepe is making remarkable progress. His adventures have taken him to local shops, parks, and supermarkets, and he's handling all these new experiences with impressive ease and confidence.
Jacqui shares, "Pepe is taking everything in his stride ". It's wonderful to see how adaptable and eager he is, whether he's exploring the bustling aisles of a supermarket or enjoying the tranquility of the park.
Every day is a new opportunity for learning and growth for Pepe, and his enthusiastic approach to his training is truly inspiring.
See Pepe on his adventures around Rathfarnham. His journey is not just about becoming a guide dog; it's about growing into a confident, well-rounded companion ready to make a life-changing difference.

Join us in cheering on Pepe as he continues his journey with Jacqui. We're so proud to support his development and grateful for the dedication of puppy raisers like Jacqui.

Look at these fab photos of April, one of our sponsored Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind! She's enjoying life at home and out and about & look how big she's getting! Well done to her puppy raiser Sandra on doing such a fantastic job (and for taking these great shots!)

Rosie & Jim kindly donated €300 to The Cuisle Centre, a cancer support centre for women in Portlaoise.

Well done to Margaret on the right who ran the ladies mini marathon in aid of the centre!

The Cuisle Centre Mission Statement

“To provide a warm, safe and welcoming environment for people diagnosed with cancer and their families affected by it.”

The Cuisle Centre has both a structured and an informal approach to each person’s care. People are encouraged to use the centre on an informal basis where they are able to meet professionally trained people in a relaxed, calm and homely atmosphere. Who comes to the Cuisle Centre? Anyone who has been diagnosed with any type of cancer. Family members and friends that are in any way affected by their loved one’s diagnosis.

Find out more about this fantastic support service - www.cuislecentre.com

Our distributors' Parkview Provisions came to us recently to seek a donation for a very worthy cause. Newry Helping The Homeless is an organisation helping the plight of the homeless, not just in the city of Newry, but on the island of Ireland as a whole.

We were more than delighted to donate to the fund Parkview Provisions had set up in aid of this charity. We'd like to thank them for the opportuntity to make our contribution.

Parkview Provisions sent us a lovely letter of thanks

We @ Parkview Provisions would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your very generous donation towards our helping the homeless cause.
We are extremely grateful and thankful that you chose to be a part of our charitable event and have attached a photo below of our presentation to those involved with the Newry helping the homeless campaign.
Newry helping the homeless were overwhelmed with the volume of products donated stating that it would go a long way to help aid the needs of all those effected so we thank you again.

Stay in touch with Parkview Provisions on their Facebook page >

About Newry Helping The Homeless

This group has been formed to highlight the plight of the homeless, not just in Newry but on the island of Ireland as a whole. Reading about the death of ordinary people living on the streets of Belfast has hit home to many of us. " How can this be allowed to happen in this day and age?".  Well we want to try and do a little to help with this problem not just in Newry but in other areas too...

Find out about this active Charity Group on Facebook >

Here is Pebbles, lovely photos and a great detailed update from puppy raiser, Niamh...

“Pebbles is now 8 months old and her confidence is growing more each week. She has been to Smyths and Nimble Fingers where she walks beautifully past the plushies even though these are her absolute favourite. She has been to many restaurants and cafés and has patiently accompanied her raiser grocery shopping in Dunnes and ALDI. The sheep figure outside Fenelons butcher in Stillorgan caused her some consternation at first but now she sails past - even though her nose tilts towards the aromas wafting from the butcher. She visited Dundrum Shopping Centre in the evening when it was quiet and popped into the cinema for a brief visit to a movie. She was alarmed at first walking into the darkness but an offer of cheese sealed the deal and she lay down happily keeping her attention on the lovely treats she received while she was there. She has met her brother Pepe and another trainee puppy called Dillon for free runs and her recall is strong even when she's zooming around with her friends”

We're thrilled to hear she is doing so well. And she got to meet her brother Pepe - one of our other sponsored dogs. Well done Pebbles!

This is a lovely photo of Aska, one of our sponsored Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. 

She is doing really well on her training - here she is on a trip to Croke Park!

Find out more about Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind on their website -

https://www.guidedogs.ie/

Follow and Like them on their Social Media platforms :

https://www.facebook.com/irishguidedogs

https://www.instagram.com/irishguidedogs/

Rosie & Jim are delighted to have donated €500 to Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services for their Christmas Fundraising Campaign helping them to provide care and support to over 4,000 patients at hospices at Harold’s Cross and Blackrock.

As they have seen a 14% decrease in state funding to Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services since 2010, they really need help to support frontline services in both hospices and in patients’ homes, along with projects such as opening a new Hospice and refurbishing Blackrock Hospice.

Find out more and DONATE to Our Lady's Hospice & Care Services on their website - www.olh.ie

Check our the O'Neills Parnell half zips sent out recently to Courtwood GAA!
The Courtwood GAA half-zips are proudly sponsored by Rosie & Jim.

Thanks to Colgan Sports.

Rosie & Jim have donated €2,000 to Colaiste Iosagain Portarlington.

The money will go to support students for book clubs, social activities, Ukraine students and to help the student cohert in the school.

http://www.colaisteiosagainport.ie

Rosie & Jim have made a donation of €2,000 to The Capuchin Day Centre for homeless people.

Find out more and make a donation to this very worthy charity on their website...

Heartfelt Thanks For Another Year Of Your Kind Support

The people who attend the Centre -

Every person needs to belong and have a place where they are respected and have their basic needs met in a caring and non-judgemental way. For most people this is where they call home and in an ideal world, families can share the normal ups and downs of life in privacy behind their own hall door. Sadly some people must spend their days trying to find shelter from the weather, a place to rest and prepare before going out to face the day. Their most basic needs are access to toilet facilities, somewhere to wash and change their clothes, decent hot meals, someone to interact with. Many people lack what most of us take for granted and have no security as to where they will lay their heads that night. While this is tragic for adults, it is heart breaking for families with children who are forced to move from place to place with no stability as to their living conditions.

The Capuchin Day Centre - website >

Make-A-Wish® Ireland has one simple aim - to grant the wishes of children aged between 3 and 17 years living with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. A wish granted is true magic for the child, providing respite from their normal routines of hospitals, doctors and treatment. Since inception in 1992 they have granted over 2,000 wishes in Ireland. They believe a wish can have a lasting impact on a child's life. A wish can create moments of joy - and memories that last a life-time.

Rosie & Jim have donated €500 to the Make-A-Wish® Ireland Christmas Campaign.

Find out more on their website - https://makeawish.ie/