Don’t forget you can nominate any local cause that’s near and dear to your heart, in the hope that they will benefit from the Tesco Community Fund. Some of the beneficiaries in Munster have included marine rescue, transport shuttles to health services and even a donkey sanctuary.
Mitchelstown Tennis Club, Co.Cork
Mitchelstown Tennis Club has been a permanent fixture in the community of Mitchelstown since 1892. With almost one hundred members including families, adult, students, and juniors the club is growing for the future.
However one of the challenges facing the club is fundraising, which can often be difficult especially for non-mainstream sports like tennis compared to GAA, soccer and rugby. Through support from the Tesco Community Fund Mitchelstown Tennis Club has successfully launched “After School Tennis” and “Sunday Morning Smashers” which has attracted lots of new members.
Chairman of the club, Michael Rea, explains the idea behind starting these new coaching sessions: “The goal is to introduce tennis in a fun easy going manner to kids from 4 to 12. It gives them an opportunity to take part in weekly tennis coaching sessions and it helps to introduce children into a sport which is a true sport for life. It has proven to be great success with local families.”
“We rely heavily on volunteers, for example, our Sunday Morning Smashers is 100% volunteer lead. The Tesco Community fund has enabled the club to purchase equipment including junior tennis rackets, soft balls, ladders, mini nets, training cones, and most importantly helped towards the costs of child safety compliance training and certification for volunteers."
The Tesco Community Fund is helping thousands of local causes right across Ireland, donating over €2.4 million to over 9,000 local projects since 2014. This week Tesco stores will present 450 local good causes with €120,000 worth of donations from the Community Fund, enabling them to make a big difference in communities’ right across Ireland.
Tesco customers can simply fill out a nomination form in store and every 8 weeks, three local causes will be selected for the Tesco Community Fund. Customers can also nominate a cause online via: www.tesco.ie/communityfund. And at the end of each phase, blue token votes are counted and up to €1,000 is shared proportionally between the three local causes. Further information and criteria for entry is available on www.tesco.ie/communityfund.
Erins Own GAA Club, Co. Waterford
Founded in 1924, Erins Own GAA club is Waterford City’s oldest GAA club with 13 senior hurling titles and countless underage trophies in both hurling and football. Being involved in the Tesco Community Fund was a major step forward for Erins Own. The Club used the funding to purchase juvenile jerseys for the Under 7s and Under 8s teams. This means that the younger team can have their own kits and are not relying on jerseys from the older age groups.
Club Secretary, Jonathan Downey said, “As a club in a disadvantaged area we always struggle to make ends meet. But through diligent management of our finances and a cooperative relationship with the community around us, Erins Own has survived for 93 years and has made the best use of our resources over the decades. We are always looking to add to and improve our facilities to provide our community with a club they can be part of and proud of, the Tesco Community Fund is helping us to do this."
Area Community Champion for Tesco stores for Waterford, Aoife Parle said: “We are delighted to be able to support amazing local GAA clubs, which are a central part of local communities. The fund is open to a wide variety of good causes or groups from schools to scouts so if you think you know a local organisation that could benefit from some extra funding, please nominate them in store or online today. And don’t forget to vote for your preferred cause each time you shop using your blue token, because it really does make a difference.”
Rehoming Cork Pets, Co. Cork
“I thought someone had burnt the dog.” These are the chilling words used by Helena O’Riordan, a volunteer with Rehoming Cork Pets, as she describes the condition of Missy, a staffordshire terrier, when she was found by a local woman. The dog was hairless, her skin blistered, covered in raw patches.
Missy was suffering from a severe case of mange, also known as canine scabies, a condition caused by mites that is highly contagious to both dogs and humans, but it is easily curable with treatment. She also had bow legs, caused by bad nutrition when she was a pup.
It took visits to four different vets before the friendly three-year-old got a clean bill of health. As Helena didn’t have records for her, she had to be vaccinated, micro-chipped and spayed. The total cost? €530.
It’s little surprise that Helena is so appreciative of the donation the charity received from the Tesco Community Fund, which was used to towards Missy’s veterinary care. “It means so much that people recognise the work and effort you put in and want to give something back. And it’s nice to know that there are animal lovers out there because it can be disheartening when you come across a few bad cases. The fund also helps us spread the word about the work that we do which is important when trying to find new homes for pets.”
The animals that Helena and the other volunteers involved in Rehoming Cork Pets look after don’t go into kennels. Instead, they live in the homes of the volunteers and foster homes before they are adopted. This approach resulted in a new home for Missy, who was adopted by the woman who had originally found her. She is bound to be well looked after as her new owner is a vet.
Tramore Cliff & Mountain Rescue Association, Co. Waterford
Since 1978, the Tramore Cliff Rescue team has come to the assistance of those in danger around the cliffs of Tramore and surrounding areas. The group of dedicated volunteers was formed following a tragic accident along a section of Tramore’s cliff, in which a young man lost his life.
After years of devoted service to the local community, the Tramore Cliff Rescue team has built up new skills and expanded its expertise to take part in mountain rescue operations. The team now responds to mountain rescue incidents as well as any cliff incidents in the South East of Ireland.
The dedicated volunteers from Tramore Cliff & Mountain Rescue used their funding from Tesco Community Fund to buy new equipment such as ropes and harnesses, helping them carry out safe and speedy rescues in difficult situations. Safety first!
Ballincollig Gymnastics, Co. Cork
The Ballincollig Gymnastics Club is one of the Cork causes that has benefited from the Tesco Community Fund. The club has been working for seven years to raise funds to buy a new floor for the gym. Thanks to the well-timed intervention from the Tesco Community Fund, the club has ordered a 12 metre x 12 metre fully sprung floor from the UK. This floor is ideal for training and performances such as the club’s annual summer show in which even the three year olds play their part.
Sandra O’Leary, Head Coach and Founder Ballincollig Gymnastics said: We’re absolutely delighted to have been involved with the Tesco Community Fund. The donation means a lot, and it has allowed us to buy the new floor that we’ve been saving years for. The new floor will be used by every one of the few hundred members in the club.”
Deise Animal Sanctuary, Co. Waterford
Based in the heart of the Nire Valley, Co. Waterford, the Deise Animal Sanctuary provides a second chance for all animals in crisis who have been neglected and mistreated.
Founder, Patricia Edwards, and the team of volunteers never turn an animal in need away. This includes emergency welfare cases coming in from all around Ireland, rehoming dogs from the Waterford Pound and taking in wild animals that have been involved in accidents or cannot look after themselves.
The team has discovered that an increasing amount of people are finding themselves unable to care for their more ‘exotic’ pets; so the Sanctuary has now seen hundreds of different animals come through the centre and is always trying to adapt to new species! Some of the almost 200 animals they currently house include: horses, dogs, goats, hens, ducks, geese, wild boar, sheep, birds, bearded dragons, degus, rabbits, cats, snakes, peacocks, sparrowhawks, foxes, pigs, fish, ferrets and guinea pigs.
The Sanctuary became involved in the Tesco Community Fund in April to raise much needed funds for veterinary costs for animals that have been rescued from cruelty. With the help of the fund they have also been able to purchase additional food supplies.
Patricia, Founder of the Sanctuary, “Thanks to our involvement in the Community Fund we have raised our profile locally, and we now have local people volunteering with us who had never heard of us before. We have even had colleagues from the Tesco store in Clonmel rehome some of our dogs. We are so thankful for all the support we received from Tesco particularly from Chris the Store Manager in Clonmel, who was so helpful.”
The Donkey Sanctuary, Co. Cork
One Cork-based community cause that was nominated for the Tesco Community Fund is The Donkey Sanctuary in Mallow, Co. Cork. An international animal welfare charity, The Donkey Sanctuary aims to protect donkeys and mules and promote their welfare worldwide. Protecting these animals isn’t easy and with the Cork sanctuary itself taking in 4,600 donkeys since opening, every little bit of help is needed.
Triona O’Mahony of The Donkey Sanctuary said: “We never turn away from a donkey in need. Our goals are ambitious but our resources are finite so we are extremely grateful to the Tesco Community Fund and local community for their donation and support. We are currently caring for almost 1,800 donkeys and have rescued over 400 already this year. We welcome visitors all year around to meet our beautiful donkeys including our oldest residents known as the ‘Super Grannies Group’. The support from our local Tesco store will help us in our continued efforts to transform the lives of neglected donkeys, like little Chaz (pictured), and we are forever grateful.”
The Adventure Community Playground in Labasheeda, Kilbaha Playground and Kilkee Playground, Co. Clare
Three playgrounds across Clare have a new lease of life thanks to your generosity. The Adventure Community Playground in Labasheeda, Kilbaha Playground and Kilkee Playground each received a boost from the Tesco Community Fund, having been nominated and backed by the local community.
The community of Co. Clare has been driving the development of these three community playgrounds for a number of years, working to create safe, social hubs for local children in the area – the true meaning of community spirit. The outdoor areas were refurbished solely from donations and local fundraising showing how every little really does help.
Janet Haugh, one of the organisers behind Kilbaha playground said: “Kilbaha Playground was built in 2012 by a group of 7 mothers who wanted to create a safe play facility for children and a place that children and adults can make new friends in the beautiful surrounds overlooking Kilbaha Bay. Playgrounds need insurance, maintenance and upkeep every year, and initiatives like Tesco Community Fund help us achieve this.”
