Mayo Roscommon Hospice celebrate work of volunteers at new hospice
MAYO Roscommon Hospice Foundation celebrated the work of their dedicated volunteers with an open day at the new Roscommon Hospice facility on Sunday.
With over 200 volunteers across 12 shops (11 clothing and one furniture) in Mayo and Roscommon, the hospice’s first shop opened in Swinford 21 years ago.
Kathy Andrewartha and Kathy Grogan are both area managers for all the 12 shops.
Kathy Andrewartha, originally from Cornwall and based in Knock, got involved with the hospice when she was made redundant from a UK retailer in 2008. She was then the primary carer for her mother, who had cancer. Kathy cared for her mother herself in the UK as she felt there were no adequate services in the locality.
After her mother passed away in 2012, Kathy got a job with the hospice shops and two years later became area manager.
Said Kathy Andrewartha: “I’ve looked after the opening of our Ballinrobe and Belmullet stores along with our furniture store in Castlebar, which is one of our most popular stores. They have two vans that go around and collect furniture.
“Our regular customers are our bread and butter and it’s great to see them come back in again since everything has reopened.
“In Ballinrobe, we put out fresh clothes every day so it’s one of our popular clothes shops. We have a great team of volunteers and we’re all very much a team and a family. It’s not just a job but a vocation.”
Kathy Grogan, who lives between Castlerea and Ballintubber, has been with the Mayo Roscommon Hospice for 12 years. A few months after being made redundant, she saw an advert mentioning that a hospice shop was due to open in Castlerea and decided to apply for the job.
Kathy was happy to get involved as she has had people close to her diagnosed with cancer and knew a lot about palliative care. Kathy also has a love of clothes, a good eye for fashion and always wanted to open her own boutique.
She said: “The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that what we do means palliative care services can be provided free of charge to all who need them.
“I am with the hospice 12 years this October and what a great way to celebrate at the launch of the new Roscommon Hospice. It’s been a fantastic 12 years working with the staff and volunteers. There is great comradery amongst all of the volunteers. We have plenty of locals, young people who take part in the Gaisce programme, members of the Polish community and Syrian refugees volunteering with us in both counties. Pre-Covid, we used to have days out together so it’s great to be able to come to Roscommon Hospice today and meet with everyone again.”
Added Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice: “The shops are the backbone of the Foundation, each and every staff member and volunteer work extremely hard week in and week out, and do so with such a positive attitude. The shops are always the most welcoming of places and a real hub of the community in each town.
“It was humbling and so rewarding to see the staff and volunteers reactions when they toured the Roscommon Hospice. It was an emotional day for them to see this beautiful building that their hard work has contributed towards.”