Waterford City and County Enterprise Boards host Microfinance seminar

Lorna Coleman, Microfinance Ireland and Ciaran Cullen, WCEB

Over forty entrepreneurs from Waterford City and County received top business tips and advice at a lunchtime event last Wednesday April 24th at the Ramada Viking Hotel. 

Hosted by Waterford City and County Enterprise Boards the seminar focused on loans to small businesses which have been refused credit by financial institutions. 

Microfinance Ireland spoke of how there are a key measure in the Government’s “Action Plan for Jobs”. 

Lorna Coleman, Project Manager with Microfinance Ireland, gave a presentation on how the Microfinance scheme works and will encourage small businesses - whether they are looking for a vital piece of new equipment, looking to expand or if they are in the start-up. 

Lorna Coleman of Microfinance Ireland

Home Instead Senior Care awarded ISO certification

Home Instead Senior Care was recently awarded ISO certification which copper-fastens its commitment to quality care, customer service and continual improvement.

ISO 9001, which is administered by the International Organisation for Standardisation, is recognised globally as the guideline for establishing and maintaining an effective quality management system for businesses in any sector.

Since opening the doors of its Waterford office in 2009, HomeInstead Senior Care has grown steadily and now cares for over 200 clients, employs over seventy CAREGivers and is run by an office team of eight, including Director of Care, Danette Connolly and Director, Michael Connolly.

According to Danette the accreditation is an endorsement of Home Instead’s commitment to quality care to its clients in the community.  “Our company’s policy is not only to provide the optimum level of home care for seniors, but also to focus on and understand the needs of our clients and their families and to exceed those expectations.”

“Whilst this accreditation formally reinforces the quality of care and values we have always made available to our clients, it is also a huge reassurance to our clients of our commitment to adhering to quality standards in the areas of customer care, service delivery, CAREGiver hiring and training and continuous improvement”, Danette added.

Testament to this is the work that Home Instead has done in spearheading many

positive health initiatives and brought awareness to a multitude of senior’s issues including; Care Choices for Seniors, osteoporosis and fall prevention awareness, Positive Ageing Solutions, elder abuse awareness, tax relief incentives and much more.

Another step in Home Instead’s journey to continue to improve and develop is its dedication to being recognised as “A Great Place to Work”. This global scheme helps organisations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust workplace cultures. Home Instead is committed to building an inspirational workplace for employees, involving employees to help implement positive changes and listening to employee opinion in order to become an employer of choice.

For further information about the services of Home Instead Senior Care log onto www.homeinstead.ie or call 051 333966.

Christchurch NS goes “Down the Rabbit Hole”

Christchurch National School brings its fun, exciting and adventure packed production of “Alice in Wonderland” to Garter Lane from May 15^th to 17^th.

Following the success of the schools production of “Over the Rainbow” in 2011, the pupils, from Junior Infants through to Sixth Class, will all feature in the much loved Lewis Carroll’s classic about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, human-like animals.

According to Claire Reidy, teacher and producer of Alice in Wonderland, all of the children have been bitten by the performing bug.  “The children have taken this play to heart and are having so much fun rehearsing the songs and dance moves. What makes it even more exciting, and slightly nerve-wracking, is that they will be performing at Garter Lane, which is a wonderful home to children’s theatre, art, comedy and dance in Waterford city.”

Claire added “Every single child in the school is involved in the play.  As we draw nearer to curtain up, the excitement is building and building and the talk of the school is Alice, The Mad Hatter, The Red Queen and all the other remarkable characters.”

According to Janet Twigg, Principal Christchurch NS, the theme of the show came from the proverb Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.  “We felt that this theme was particularly appropriate for our young cast. It deals with Alice’s fears as she moves through Wonderland and her eventual triumph as she stands firm against that which she fears most.”

“Apart from the Mums, Dads and terribly proud grandparents, our 2011 production was very well attended by local schools and community groups and we expect that this year’s production will attract the same interest”, Janet added.

If you fancy a trip down the rabbit hole for a hair - raising, fun - filled, adventure - packed musical, tickets are available for the matinee and evening performances  from Garter Lane Box Office on 051 855038 or by visiting www.garterlane.ie

‘Get on your bike’ for The Ronald McDonald House

Rotary club of Waterford appeals to the public to join in its annual charity cycle.

 

The Rotary club of Waterford Ronald Mc Donald Fun Cycle takes place again this year on Sunday May 12^th 2013 at Mc Donald’s on the Cork Road. Starting at 11.00 am the cycle travels to Tramore and back.

The Charity Cycle, now in its fourth year, is an opportunity for anyone who cycles and believes in helping a good cause. Regular participants are those who have stayed in the house or those who know a family who have stayed in the Ronald McDonald House, and wish to give something back.

Waterford Rotary appeals to cyclists of all ages to join. No pre-registration is required, just get the bike out or borrow one and join in for two hours on May 12^th. All are welcome.

To top it all, WLR fm’s Timmy Ryan will be broadcasting live from McDonalds on the Cork road and Ronald Mc Donald will join in the fun on the day. All cyclists will be treated to a Free Burger after the cycle plus lots of other treats on the day.

 The Ronald McDonald House provides a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill children who are hospitalised or undergoing extended treatment at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin. Families will be able to stay for the duration of their child’s stay in hospital. The Ronald McDonald House provides a supportive environment for these families. The first Irish Ronald McDonald House was a 15,000 square feet stand alone building in the grounds of Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin. The House can accommodate up to 16 families in en-suite family bedrooms with communal kitchens, dining areas and living areas. It also has a toddlers’ room and full laundry facilities.

Since opening in November 2004 the House has been “home” to over 1000 families from all over Ireland. Some have stayed for just a few nights, while others stay for 7 or 8 months!  The beauty of the house is that each room accommodates 4 so grannies, granddads, brothers and sisters can all help in the child’s recovery.

The annual running costs are in excess of €300,000 and the charity is very dependent on the continuing support of all to cover the ongoing costs of running the House.

Sponsorship cards are available from Mc Donald’s City Centre or Cork Road, Lily O'Brien’s and Nolke Opticians, or you can donate directly for this good cause by logging on www.mycharity.ie, go to “Sponsor a Friend” and search for Rotary Waterford.

New "Experience Waterford" initiative promotes early evening excursions

Waterford City Enterprise Board and a group of local businesses recently launched “Experience Waterford”, a series of early evening tours throughout Waterford City and County.

The initiative saw ten local businesses team up to offer “bundled” tourism packages to visitors and locals.  Experience Waterford gives the public the opportunity to enjoy five exciting and diverse mid week tours from 5pm to 7pm.

The tours, which run Monday to Thursday, include The Barley Bus, Roots ‘n’ Rowing, Kite and Coffee, The Suir Valley Railway Trail and Workhouse Wonders.

This unique tourism initiative was spearheaded by Waterford City Enterprise which supported and funded the project.  According to Ciaran Cullen, CEO Waterford City Enterprise Board, the premise of Experience Waterford is to provide a fun and informative tourism experience in the early evening.

“A lot of anecdotal evidence suggested that there is a hiatus on things to do between 5 and 7pm mid-week.  So the participants of the group and the Enterprise Board created tourism packages that would allow visitors the opportunity to discover more about Waterford, its people and its proud history and craft in the early evening.”

“An example of one of the tours is The Barley Bus.  This package sees four local businesses working together to create a fulfilling tourism experience that features the opportunity to learn more about our great food and brewing traditions, sample the fare, all peppered with musical entertainment with transportation to and from the venue.”

The ten local businesses which have joined forces to package a unique tourism experience include The Waterford Suir Valley Railway, The Kite Design Studio, Metal Man Brewing, The Boathouse Bar, Rapid Cabs, Family and Past Genealogy, The Munster Bar, M & D bakery, The Thatch Pub and The Workhouse Studios.

Eric O’ Brien of Rapid Cabs said “All of the tours take place between 5pm and 7pm, so they really are the perfect filler for tourists after a busy day shopping and sight-seeing in the city and before heading onto some of Waterford’s great restaurants."

“Combining history, heritage and a bit of fun Roots ‘n’ Rowing provides a tour of the city’s oldest and most well regarded sporting club coupled with the opportunity to trace one’s roots with a local genealogist.”

“The tours will certainly have a broad appeal to visitors and locals alike”, Eric added.

If you want to find out more about Experience Waterford call 051 301444 or you can find Experience Waterford 5-7 on Facebook.

NAS and Solas Centres get heart - wise!

A local company which is the driving force behind the provision of AED and CPR training in the city has teamed up with the Solas Centre, the South East’s cancer support service centre, to provide training in the use of AED (Automated External Defibrillators).

Throughout May NAS Training Centre will deliver a series of free training courses to the Solas Centre on AED instruction and practice along with adult and child CPR.

According to Ray Power, General Manager NAS Training Centre, the importance of AED and CPR skills can never be underestimated.  “In Ireland approximately 10,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease, stroke and other circulatory diseases.  Proficiency and knowledge about what to do if this situation ever arises is paramount.”

 “We offered these informative and practical courses to the volunteers, clients and staff at the Solas Centre in order to allow them to deal competently and capably if ever such a situation arises and also because we greatly admire and respect the work of the Solas Centre.”

Ray added, “The course is designed for those with a duty to respond to an emergency in the workplace environment and the participants will learn by practicing all the steps of AED and CPR under the guidance of a qualified instructor.”

Each year 2,000 people are diagnosed with cancer across Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Carlow and Kilkenny.  Since opening its doors at Ardkeen over three years ago, the Solas Centre has provided support services, such as counselling, relaxation therapies and group support services to over 1,000 people affected by cancer and anticipates that the numbers visiting the Centre in 2013 will continue to rise.

Mick Nevin, Manager of the Solas Centre is delighted that the staff and volunteers will undertake such a practical course.  “At the Solas Centre our staff and volunteers receive the highest level of training in all relevant disciplines and we are delighted that NAS invited us to partake on these AED and CPR courses which will give our staff and volunteers the knowledge and skills to deal any cardiac or circulatory emergencies.”

“The philosophy of the Solas Centre is manifold; to provide cancer patients and their families with a safe place to talk things over and to help them cope with living with cancer.  It also will work closely with the hospitals of the region in promoting and supporting patient-focused, cutting-edge cancer research and continues not only to educate people about cancer prevention, but also to change our mindset around cancer,” Mick added.

For further information about courses available at NAS Training Centre call 051 333960 or visit www.nas.ie.  For information about the Solas Centre and the services it provides call 051 304604 or visit www.solascentre.ie

Fight for Sight donates to Temple Street Hospital

Fight for Sight, the national charity for the prevention of sight loss, based in Waterford, recently presented a Dual Band Laser Ophthalmoscope valued at € 8,500 to Temple Street Hospital.

This equipment is vital for babies born with eye disorders which cause blindness. It was presented to Professor Michael O'Keeffe who stated that it was “invaluable in preventing blindness in these babies.” 

Mr. Bertie Rogers, C.E.O. Fight for Sight said “It’s a shame that the HSE could not support Temple Street by supplying this equipment.  It is only for the generosity of ordinary people donating to fundraising that this equipment could be purchased.”

Since its Establishment in 1985 the Irish Fight for Sight charity has raised more than €2.5m through continuous fund raising programmes and donations. The money raised has been used to fund; 

                   Eyebank Ireland a national donor eyebank which supplies donated corneas

                   to Irish Hospitals for transplant operations

The purchase of eye equipment including YAG lasers, scanners and 

specular microscopes for the Regional Hospitals and Health Boards in 

Cork, Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny.

      
                  Research projects into Cornea transplantation, optometric research and 
                  diseases such as Glaucoma and Cataracts

                   Free Nationwide screening for Glaucoma

A Picker's Paradise - 19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival set to return to Dunmore East

The Guinness International Bluegrass Festival returns to Dunmore East, Co. Waterford for its 19^th year.  The festival will take place in the picturesque fishing village from August 22nd to August 25^th.

As with previous years the local hostelries; the Strand Inn, The Haven Hotel, The Spinnaker, Powers Bar and Azzurro, will play host to dozens of free gigs throughout the weekend with local, national and international bluegrass names playing a variety of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.

Full details of bands and artists performing at the 19^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford will be announced soon on www.discoverdunmore.com