SOFT Ireland

As you are aware we had our Spring Break in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon in March this year. Thanks to Danny Rispin and Ian O’Brien,our Spring Break/AGM sub committee, for organising the weekend and also to anyone who helped out before and during the weekend. The Abbeyfield Hotel was ideally located and was fully booked for the event with additional members also accommodated in a local B & B. Many thanks to all the families who joined us over the weekend.

With no scheduled activities on the Saturday families were free to enjoy the hotel facilities or visit local attractions such as Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle Abbey and Knock Shrine.

Michael Roche collected €2 from everyone present at the dinner on Saturday night and played the Lotto. Although we didn’t win the jackpot we came close…..with the princely sum of €15. Ian and Jackie O’Brien organised a short table quiz for after dinner and this proved a big hit with both adults and children. The eventual winners being ‘Louise’s Lot’ with Louise Wylie leading her team to glory! We also had a raffle for numerous prizes which raised €595 for SOFT funds.

On Sunday morning we remembered our special children with poems, verses and songs. We also had a balloon release. We finished the weekend with refreshments and were delighted to wish our long-term member Elaine Fagan a very happy 24th birthday, which she celebrated on March 21st. Thank you to all our families for participating.

Although our meal on Saturday evening was very disappointing, overall the weekend went well. I hope everyone who attended enjoyed the break and I look froward to seeing you all at future events.

Carmel Reilly.
Chairperson.

The closing date for inclusion of articles and photos in the next newsletter is fast approaching. If you have anything you would like to include in the next newsletter – photos, stories, family announcements or news atricles which may be of interest to other SOFT members – please e-mail them to Terry Matthews, the newsletter co-ordinator, at soft.newsletter@yahoo.ie before 31st January.

Dear Members,

As you probably know 2009 was a busy year for SOFT Ireland and we are delighted to have achieved so much. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their help and support during the year and look forward to working together in 2010.

Many of our members suffered bereavements during the year and this will be a difficult and emotional time for them. We should also remember the families who have been affected by Pataus and Edwards Syndrome and heard about these conditions and SOFT Ireland for the first time. As you light your candles for your own special child this year, please think of these families also.

The newly designed Christmas cards have been very well received this year and I would like to thank all those who participated in the competition and congratulate all the winners.

As ever, fundraising is a very inportant part of our organisation. Thank you to all those who organised and / or supported fundraising events or made donations last year. We would not be able to continue to support our members and new families without your continued contributions.

We published our first newsletter in almost 2 years and you should have received this in September. Closing date for receipt of articles, stories, photos etc for the next issue is January 31st 2010 and all items should be sent to our newsletter co-ordinator Terry Matthews (soft.newsletter@yahoo.ie)

I hope you, your families and friends enjoy the Christmas season and wish you all the best for 2010. I look forward to seeing you at  SOFT Ireland events during the year.

Carmel Reilly
Chairperson

Just a reminder that our Christmas Cards are still available.

The new design cards are available in variety packs of 10 – 1 of each design –  for €7.50 or individual designs may be purchased for €1.00 each or 6 for €5.00.

Please contact Michael & Michelle Griffin at 044-9335674 or mobile 087-9693850.

You can also place your orders by e-mail. The address for all merchandise enquiries is soft.merchandise@yahoo.ie

Our Spring Break 2010 will take place on the weekend of 26th to 28th March. The venue has yet to be confirmed but you may wish to note the dates in your diary. Details of the weekend will be posted here when available and letters will be sent out in February.

The 2009 AGM is fast approaching and we are looking forward to seeing you all there.

The Agenda for the weekend is as follows…..

Friday 6th November.
9.00 pm         Informal get-together in the bar area.

Saturday 7th November.
10.00 am      Registration in the Ennell Suite
10.15 am       Chairpersons address
10.30 am       Opening Ceremony
10.45 am        AGM Commences
12.00 pm       Guest Speaker – Catherine McGeachy

Afternoon Free

6.30 pm         Meet in Ennell Suite for dinner at 7 pm.
                           Fancy Dress for children.
                           Don’t forget to bring a spot prize for the raffle.

Sunday 8th November

11.30 am        Meet in Ennell Suite for Closing Ceremony.

Directions to Bloomfield Hotel

Travelling West on the Mullingar by-pass take the exit for Tullamote (N52). At top of slip road turn left. Continue straight through first three roundabouts. You will then see a turn to the right signposted for Belvedere house. Take this turn but not into Belvedere, instead continue straight on past the Golf course which is on your left. Bloomfield Hotel is the next turn left.

Travelling East on the by-pass, again take the Tullamore exit (N52). Turn Right at top of slip road and continue as above.

Travelling from South via N6 take the Mullingar/Tyrellspass exit. Follow the signs for Mullingar, turning left at the sign for Belvedere House, past the Golf course and then left into Bloomfield Hotel.

Just a reminder to parents of children who are travelling to Lilliput – please bring a change of clothes!!!

Christmas Cards will be on sale over the weekend. The cost is €7.50 for a pack of ten – one of each of our winning designs.

Mant thanks to all who participated in our Christmas Card competition. With lots of lovely entries it was very dificult to choose the winners. However Mary O’Brien has selected the following designs for our new range of cards.

Edel Reilly, Age 6, Athlone, Co Westmeath

Evan Kelly, Age 6, Co Kilkenny

Fionnán Henry, Age 7, Athlone, Co Roscommon.

Emma Healy, Age 8, Kilmeedy, Co Limerick.

Lauren Reilly, Age 9, Athlone, Co Westmeath

Kate Moore, Age 9, Tralee, Co Kerry.

Ashling Monaghan, Age 11, Maynoth, Co Kildare.

Niamh Rispin, Age 11, Navan, Co Meath.

Emma Judge, Age 12, Crossmolina, Co Mayo

Shane Kennedy, Age 14, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

Christmas Cards will be on sale from early October. Please contact Michael & Michelle Griffin (044 9335674) for further details. We will also have our full range of cards for sale at the AGM in Mullingar.

Congratulations to all our winners and your prizes will be winging their way to you all shortly.

Eddie Dillon, Glanmire, Co. Cork presenting a cheque for €8510 to Martina O’Reilly & Patricia Grehan of SOFT Ireland, for proceeds raised in the recent Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon.

Eddie, along with Bord Gáis colleagues, family  & friends, entered a number of teams in the relay event and all ran in memory of Eddie’s baby son Cathal, who died soon after birth in August 2008.
Baby Cathal was born with Patau’s Syndrome / Trisomy 13 and lived for two short days under the fantastic care of the doctors and staff at Cork University Maternity Hospital.
His condition was undetected during pregnancy and came as a huge shock to his father Eddie, mother Karen and siblings Robert (aged 6) and Shauna (aged 3).
But the two precious days they spent with their baby boy are engrained forever in their hearts and are especially poignant around this time – Baby Cathal’s first birthday and anniversary. Eddie and Karen are proud to be able to contribute the proceeds of Eddie’s involvement in the marathon to SOFT in Cathals memory.

Brendan O’Riordan Crossing the Finish Line for SOFT Ireland on Behalf of Team Blue Flame

Team Blue Flame
Back Row – Deaglán Healy, Adrian Ahern,Brendan O’Riordan
Front Row – Eddie Dillon, Glynn Aherne

Shauna, Robert and Baby Cathal

On Sunday 28th June a céilí  was held in Rathowen Community Centre in County Westmeath. This fundraising dance was orgainsed by Kenny & Laura Murphy and Patsy Finn in aid of SOFT Ireland. It has become an annual event which began after the Murphys heard about the organisation when Patrick and Pauline Farrelly’s son Patrick was born in 2003 and they have been very generous in arranging and hosting the céilí for the last number of years.
This year may not have been as well attended as previous years, with a number of other local events happening on the same day. However the dance floor was full for every set, with dancers tapping, kicking, side stepping and swinging to the lively music. Both young and old enjoyed the afternoon taking only short breaks between the sets.
Kenny, Laura and Patsy organised refreshments on the day and a raffle was also held at the interval. This year €645 was raised for SOFT Ireland and the support of the organising group and those who attended is much appreciated. Details of next years céilí will be posted on our website and all are welcome to attend and support the event.

On the 7th March this year we hosted our second annual Keeper Climb. This year our climb was in memory of our special Little Softies who are watching down on us. We were joined by our family, friends, our SOFT family, work colleagues and even people we had never met but who had heard of the walk. All in all we had roughly 60 people walking with us which was fantastic and a huge THANK YOU to all who braved the weather and climbed with us for SOFT.
We headed off for an early start in the wind, rain, sleet and snow. The weather was dreadful. Once we reached the top we said a quick prayer and hello to Dolly at her memorial stone from last years climb. We were greeted half way down our decent with a hot toddy…..a change of clothes would have been more appreciated!!  However, whatever Michael had in his special recipe gave us all a boost to keep us going the rest of the way home. You will have to sus him out yourselves for that recipe!!
Once down we all headed for home for a shower and a change of clothes and then returned to our local where we had some well deserved finger food laid on for us. Our friend Eoin and his band kept us well entertained during the nibbles, raffle and balloon release. This year proved not to be as late a night as last year…think the cold may have gotten to some!  However, there were a few of us who saw in the early hours of the morning with a nice lively sing song. Last year we raised over €10,000 for SOFT and currently we are at over €7,00 and still collecting which is fantastic. We will present the cheque to SOFT at the AGM.
So, you can now start your training for next year and watch this space for the date.
Hope to see you all there…

Nicola & Greg.