On The Afternoon Show today, Clare FM’s Máire Moynahan spoke with Mary McMahon, CEO and Susan Hogan, Training and Development Officer with Caring for Carers, who are based in Ennis. The Caring for Carers Ireland Annual National Respite Weekend & Conference was officially opened today (1st to 3rd March) by Minister of State, John Perry, and will be attended by over 450 Family Carers coming from Caring for Carers Ireland’s National Network of 107 Carers Groups. Family Carers are under additional stress to meet the increasing care needs in the home, whilst maintaining their own health and other family commitments due to the challenges presented by resource constraints.
Cormac MacGearailt is an inspector with the Environmental Protection Agency and joined the show to talk about how the EPA has launched a new iphone App – See it? Say it! to help people to report environmental pollution in their towns and villages. The new App makes it easy for people to report a pollution incident the moment they see it. Using the App you can now take a photograph of the pollution incident, input GPS location coordinates, add a summary description of what you want to convey and your contact details and this will automatically be sent to the relevant local authority for follow up. Alternatively you can call their 24 hour helpline on 1850 365 121 to report illegal dumping or any of the issues discussed.
Deirdre Kingston is with the charity – Gorta. She spoke to Máire about the annual ‘Soup for Life’ campaign, which kicks off today, 1st March and runs until Friday, 8th March. The idea behind the campaign is that restaurants, cafes and bars across the country take part and giving €1 per bowl of soup sold. The general public can also host their own ‘soup parties’ and donate any monies raised to Gorta. The project that benefits is a food security programme in Keringet, Kenya, which aims to provide people with three nutritious meals a day. Restaurants across Clare that are taking part are the Ailwee Cave Cafe in Ballyvaughan, Cafe Latte in Killaloe, Copper Jug in Ennis and the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point.
Brian McManus is a youth worker with the Clare Youth Service based here in Ennis and was in studio for the first of many features on the work that’s undertaken across Co. Clare by the workers and volunteers at the service. Clare Youth Service exists to serve the county’s young people aged 12 –25, by providing information on rights and entitlements; by representing youth interests; by providing education and training; by organisation or supporting youth clubs, projects and other activities run in local communities; by listening and befriending; by responding to ideas for activities generated by young people. The Clare Youth Service have a lot going on all year round that caters for young people across the county. If you would like to find out more about the charity you can call them directly on 065 6845350 or visit their website www.clareyouthservice.org or see their facebook page.
Also joining Máire on The Afternoon Show was Stephen Clancy from Limerick who is a Professional Cyclist and a newly diagnosed diabetic. He talked about his ambitions as a cyclist, how he received the shocking news that he has type 1 Diabetes and about his new team. Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team, took part in its first full competitive race, the Trofeo Laigueglia, in Italy on the 16th February. 21 year-old Irish rider Stephen Clancy, from Limerick, is a part of the Team Novo Nordisk squad for 2013. Stephen competed in his first cycling race when he was 16 and was diagnosed with diabetes in 2012, as he was about to begin his second season in the senior ranks.
Padraic O’Reilly is the Musical Director of the Corofin Traditional Festival and let listeners know about everything that’s happening over the coming days. See www.corofintradfest.com for details and tickets
To contact the show please email afternoon@clare.fm
