LOCAL SOCCER CLUBS ROW IN BEHIND HOSPITAL FUNDRAISER
Tipperary Southern & District League donate €4,000 to Friends of South Tipperary General Hospital
A significant amount of money has been donated to the Friends of South Tipperary General Hospital that will be of ‘huge benefit’ to the organisation according to CEO John Savage.
€4,000 in total was raised, a culmination of contributions from clubs in the Tipperary Southern and District League and the TS&DL board.
The fundraising initiative was the brainchild of Peake Villa chairman Seamus Woodlock who asked clubs to donate €100 to the cause.
€2,000 was raised and that figure was then matched by the TS&DL committee bringing the total to €4,000.
“We are hugely appreciative of this donation,” said Friends of South Tipperary General Hospital treasurer Walter Kearney.
Photo: Jamie O’Flaherty
“On behalf of the Friends committee I would like to thank all of the clubs who donated and the League Committee who very generously matched the funds that were raised,” said Mr Kearney.
Founded in 1979 the ‘Friends’ are a group of people who assist the hospital financially in order to improve services for the patients.
Over the years, they have provided many amenities for the patients including additional medical equipment, social activities and ensuring patient comfort.
Tipperary Southern & District League secretary Tommy Lewis said the league was delighted to be able to donate funds to the hospital and thanked them for the many occasions in which the ambulance service attended to injured players.
Of course the generosity of the TS&DL is well known of and appreciated by clubs who play under their jurisdiction.
Since the year 2000, the league has given out funding to clubs totalling a massive €267,858.
A large part of that money has been given to clubs to help develop their facilities while almost €50,000 was allocated towards youth development.
Some of the clubs to benefit were Cullen Lattin who developed their grounds to a super standard.
Clonmel Celtic and Clonmel Town have also benefited over the years as have Cahir Park, Donohill & District, Two Mile Borris, Old Bridge, St Michael’s, Mullinahone, Wilderness Rovers, Rosegreen Rangers, Glengoole Utd, Tipperary Town, Galbally, Cashel Town, Burncourt and Peake Villa.
The vast majority of money has gone towards pitch development and upgrading facilities and playing surfaces.
Other clubs have secured funding to help clear off loans, buy new dug-outs, install drainage systems, purchase new goalposts, and to install walkways around their grounds.
Other clubs, who don’t own their grounds or haven’t been able to secure long-term leases have received loans from the league, repayable at very affordable rates over a period of several years.
For now though it’s the Friends of Tipperary General Hospital who are the beneficiaries of TS&DL funding.
An organisation who give of their time, voluntarily to ensure the comfort for patients who stay at the hospital.
On behalf of everyone at The Premier Newspaper I would like to say well done to everyone involved and a special mention to Seamus Woodlock who suggested supporting the charity.