This article is from page 32 of the 2008-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
THE Going Strong club in Newmar- ket-on-Fergus 1s appealing to the lo- cal community to get on board and help with its efforts to build a garden for senior citizens.
To coincide with its 10th anniversa- ry, the club has decided to assemble a seniors’ garden beside the family centre in the village.
Volunteers will donate a variety of items, such as plants and shrubbery,
to be positioned 1n the garden and the committee is appealing for people to donate 12 railway sleepers. According to the chairperson of the eroup, Kay Murphy, the committee decided to open the garden as part of its plans for the 10th birthday cele- brations of the formation of the club. “When the garden is built, the sen- ior citizens will decide what goes into it. We will try to accommodate whatever they suggest. It will be therapeutic for them,’ said Ms Mur-
ya
“We are hoping that it will all be donated, especially the sleepers for the garden. We only need 12. If we were to buy them, they would cost €600,” she added.
The 40 members meet every week and engage in activities such as bowling and day trips, while they also host talks on fire safety, legal, health and financial advice.
A committee of eight people over- sees the work of the group which has
grown significantly in size since it was established in 1998.
During its initial stages, there were just four senior citizens in the club, but as word of mouth spread throughout the village, that quickly increased over the years.
The group is resuming its activities for the autumn, having taken a well- CFeWw OLex6 MB) Kore HGR DOMMLUN WiAr- Dele MPaNUESAU Kye
All senior citizens in the Newmar- ket-on-Fergus area are invited to at- tend its meetings every week.