Mary nominated for Community Games volunteer award

A VERY familiar face to anyone ever involved with Community Games at county level over the years, Westport woman Mary McGreal is in the running for a top volunteer award.

The Aldi Community Games Golden Jubilee Volunteer will be announced at an awards ceremony on March 18 and will be presented with a holiday prize sponsored by The Irish Independent.

Twenty-seven volunteers have been nominated by their county in recognition of the endless work they have done in the past 50 years.

You can vote for Mary via www.independent.ie/goldenvolunteer. Voting lines close at midnight on March 13, with one vote per reader.

The spirit of volunteering in Mary McGreal's community was always important to her, and when the Community Games was being developed in Mayo in the early '70s she felt a duty to get involved in her area of Westport and a couple of years later at county level.

The number of events Westport took part in back then were few – GAA, soccer and athletics. The athletics were ran off in the local GAA pitch and as a result of the success of Community Games athletics, an athletic club was formed in approximately 1980.

Westport area grew and developed and by the mid '80s they were competing in over 20 events.

The very committed local committee consisted of parents, teachers and local community people.

Mary enjoyed her years in Community Games, whether it was at local level, county,

provincial or national, bringing teams on many memorable trips to Mosney, or as a delegate at executive level, and she has extended thanks to everyone who has helped her in any way over the years to make Community Games successful.