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County Mayors Awards 2011 Souvenir Brochure
(pdf, 8,701 kbs, Last Updated: Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:06:00 GMT)
County Mayors Awards Winners Announced in Celebration Evening
Over 250 people from Community and Voluntary groups from all around County Galway attended the County Mayors Awards last Thursday 10th November in the Connemara Coast Hotel. 38 volunteers who were nominated for the category ‘Volunteer of the Year 2011’ eagerly waited to hear their fate when Margaret McNulty from Oranmore was announced as the winner. Margaret is involved in many voluntary activities in and around Oranmore. She is currently chairperson of the Oranmore Tidy Towns Committee who recently won National Best Bottle Bank Award in the National Tidy Towns Competition in September. Apart from being a dedicated hard worker in the community, Margaret’s other talent is her ability to motivate and bring people together to help out in their community. Some of the other voluntary activities Margaret is involved with include the Oranmore Senior Citizens Group, the Corrib Toastmaster Club and she also gives talks to the local schools on environmental issues. On accepting the special Award, Margaret said that she was “truly humbled and amazed to receive the award especially when there were so many other brilliant volunteers that were equally as deserving”.
35 community and voluntary groups were also short listed over 7 other categories. All the winners were presented with a beautiful slate sculpture of the sails of the Galway Hooker set in a Galway stone base all of which are thousands of years old.
The first award of the night was the Sports Award which recognises groups who have focused on increasing the number of people participating in sport. This was won by Tuam / Headford Special Olympics. The club provides training in swimming and gymnastics for children and adults with an intellectual disability. They take part in the 4 year Olympic cycle ending in the Special Olympics Games.
Abbey Community Develovment won the Green Award. Abbey have been very proactive with their Tidy Towns Programme in recent years winning Galway’s Tidiest Town from 2005 to 2010 in the National Tidy Towns Competitions.
The Arts award was won by Clifden Community Arts Week. The festival was started in the local community school in 1977 and has evolved to become a huge community wide celebration of the Arts in Ireland.
Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre won the Community Enterprise Award. The Centre provides workspace and support services to help start up enterprises. It is currently home to fifteen enterprises, employing more than 180 people.
The Youth Award which recognises the efforts of groups who support and develop the potential of young people was won by Sign out Youth Café in Portumna. The café is run by a group of young people aged between 15 and 19. It provides an extensive list of activities for young people in and around the Portumna area.
The next award was the Age Friendly Award which was won by Portumna & District Active Retirement Association. The Association has been running since 2003. It works towards empowering older people in the community to reach their full potential both physically and mentally in the wider community. Some of their activities include indoor bowls, choir and dancing lessons, computer classes, pitch and putt, aqua aerobics and they never miss an opportunity to get involved in festivals such as the National A.R.A Go On Festival, the St. Patrick’s Days Festival and the Annual ‘Bealtaine’ Festival.
Clann Family Resource Centre in Oughterard won the Community Group Award. For nearly 10 years Clann has been providing services in the Oughterad and surrounding area. It runs a youth café, provides a counselling and support service and works with all sectors of the community to deliver services for their needs. Breaking down stereotypes and promoting equality is a big part of the work of the Centre.
Speaking at the ceremony, the County Mayor Cllr. Michael Maher said that “Volunteers are a huge asset to communities and it’s important that their efforts are recognised and celebrated”. On behalf of Galway County Council the County Manager Martina Moloney congratulated all those who had received awards and thanked everyone for their time and commitment to voluntary work in their communities.
County Mayors Awards 2011
Short Listed Groups for First Ever County Mayors Awards Announced
35 Community and Voluntary Groups have been short listed over 7 categories for the first ever County Mayors Awards to take place next month. Speaking at the launch of the Awards the County Mayor Cllr. Michael Maher said “I am delighted to be hosting the first ever Mayors Awards for County Galway. When I took up the office of County Mayor earlier this year, one of my priorities was to acknowledge and celebrate the great work that people and communities are involved in around the County.
38 public nominations have also been received for a special “Volunteer of the Year” Award.
The winners will be announced at the County Mayors Awards Ceremony on 10th November 2011.
Click below to read the full press release and the list of nominated groups and volunteers
Groups & Volunteers Nominated
(pdf, 185 kbs, Last Updated: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:25:00 BST)
Press Release 24th Oct 2011
(pdf, 65 kbs, Last Updated: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:52:00 BST)
