All here at the Children’s Grief Centre are delighted and honoured to have won the National Lottery’s Good Causes Award in both the Youth Category and the Overall Award for 2018. There were 36 finalists over six categories from which, the National Lottery chose both the category winners and the overall winner.  We were very fortunate to win €10,000 as winner of the Youth Category and €25,000 as overall winner.

This award will enable the centre to continue to offer support services to children from 4 to 18 years of age who have experienced loss through death, separation or divorce. The award will also help the centre in our long term goal of acquiring new premises which we hope will meet our needs going forward given our ever growing waiting list. Winners of the Good Causes Award were announced at a Black Tie Gala dinner which took place last Saturday, the 3^rd November in Dublin’s Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road.

This awards ceremony will be broadcast on Virgin Media_one (formerly TV3) next Sunday the 11^th November at 9.30pm and will feature all the winners of the seven categories including, Sport & Recreation, Community, Health & Wellbeing, Youth (Children’s Grief Centre’s Category), Heritage, Arts & Culture, and Irish Language.  Please see listed below the individual category winners.

Helen received the award for the Youth section from TV presenters Karen Kostner and Alan Hughes.  Also featured on the upcoming TV show will be the announcement of the Overall Winner Award, awarded to the Children’s Grief Centre which our Director, Helen Culhane graciously accepted on behalf of the centre and which was presented to her by Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dermot Griffin, Chief Executive of the National Lottery.

There has been widespread coverage on both local print media including the limerick leader and The Limerick Post and nationally on The Star newspapers.

CatholicIreland.net article: https://www.catholicireland.net/childrens-grief-centre-wins-national-lottery-good-causes-award/

IrelandamTV Video clip: available @ https://www.virginmediatelevision.ie/player/show/809/150468/0/Ireland-AM

Irish Mirror: https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irelands-only-dedicated-childrens-grief-13534749

Limerick Leader: http://epaper.limerickleader.ie/iconic/pageflip/swipe/limerickleaderwed/20181107limerickleaderwed?fbclid=IwAR2hqHcHDAxf3dKKLcd6fZWbij-7QZGKybJTF_o0dEmDclMbxxZH9HqFTbQ#/18/

The Limerick Post: https://www.limerickpost.ie/digital-edition/

The Irish Daily Star – see copy of the The National Lottery’s Good Causes Awards 2018 pull out supplement attached.

The National Lottery Good Causes Awards winners in 2018 are:
Sport & Recreation – Dublin/Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team from Co. Wicklow
Health & Wellbeing – Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland from Co. Dublin
Community – North Offaly Community Development Network from Co. Offaly
Youth – Children’s Grief Centre from Co. Limerick
Arts & Culture – Waterford Healing Arts Trust from Co. Waterford
Heritage – St Catherine’s Church Restoration Committee from Co. Leitrim
Irish Language – Raidió Rí-Rá based in Co. Dublin
Good Cause of the Year overall award – Children’s Grief Centre from Co. Limerick

Thank you for your support and good wishes.