CHARITY PARTNERS
Bray Wanderers FC has launched a charitable partnership with four local Wicklow Charities and Social Associations as part of its Social Responsibility ethos.
Overseen by Social Responsibility Officer Dermot O’Brien, Bray Wanderers FC will develop a club Charter, a Mental Health and Well Being policy, a new junior supporters club ‘Young Gulls’ as well as other inclusion and diversity activities throughout the year.
The partnership with the four charities and social organisations will have a twofold objective. The first is to provide increased awareness and profile for the four organisations. Bray Wanderers will partner with them to drive awareness in the grounds, in the Club Programme and on joint promotional activities.
The second role will be to assist the organisations in raising money. Initially Bray Wanderers FC will host the charities at selected home matches with bucket collections. In time, the club will also bring them into future club fund raising ventures.
The four Charities are Be Well. Purple House Cancer Support, St. Catherine’s Special School and Living Life Counselling.
Be Well is a Youth Mental Health movement that has been developing in Bray since 2012 and has now expanded to cover Co. Wicklow. “Promoting a practical and positive approach within Youth Mental Health” is the mission statement and placing young people at the centre of that work has been the key to success for Be Well.
Purple House Cancer Support is the forefront in providing a range of professional support services to people of all ages affected by Cancer in Ireland. It is at the heart of the community and is funded almost buy synthroid using paypal entirely by voluntary donations and is not funded by any national cancer organisations. Founded in 1990, Purple House was the first Community based Cancer Support Centre in Ireland and today operates a busy range of support services from Purple House at Aubrey Court, Parnell Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow as well as Cancer Support Clinics in Park House, Library Road, Dun Laoghaire.
St. Catherine’s Special School provides education for pupils who have Moderate General Learning Disability, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Severe and Profound General Learning Disability. Many of the pupils also have Emotional and Behavioural Disabilities, Physical Disabilities and complex health and medical needs. The children range in age from 3 years to 18 years. Currently 100 children from north and south Wicklow attend the school on a daily basis. St. Catherine’s Special School is located between Newtownmountkennedy and Newcastle in County Wicklow.
Living Life Counselling is a registered charity that provides professional and affordable counselling services for people who are unemployed, in receipt of social welfare benefits or on a low income. Its services are provided by 80 volunteer counsellors working with 240 clients in its Bray and Arklow centres. Most of its clients attend for individual counselling and it also provides couples and relationship counselling, addiction counselling and play therapy.
