The children’s ward in Mayo General Hospital received some Christmas magic early this year, with the arrival of 480 Folens Christmas annuals this week as a part of the national donation to Children in Hospital Ireland.
Following the success of last year’s partnership, Folens has once again teamed up with CHI volunteers in 23 children’s wards and departments across the country, including Mayo, to spread some festive cheer to children in hospital in the lead up to Christmas. This special delivery to the children’s unit in Mayo General Hospital is one of many merry donations that will be made by the Folens team to children’s wards across the country this week, with the total donation this year worth more than €32,000. CHI is a voluntary organisation working directly with children in hospitals to help them cope with illness and hospitalisation through the provision of daily play sessions, and provides ongoing support to families. For more than 45 years CHI has been committed to bringing both support and fun to sick children.
Mary O’ Connor, CEO of Children in Hospital Ireland, said; “Our volunteers are dedicated to supporting children during their stay in hospital by providing play and recreational activities every day. Christmas time is a particularly tough time for a child to be sick and these Christmas annuals supplied by Folens really helped to brighten up the children’s wards last year. We are delighted to work with the Folens team again this year and distribute these annuals across the country, including here in Mayo General Hospital, with help from our wonderful and dedicated Mayo volunteers.”
Fiona Tiernan, Folens territory manager for Mayo added; “CHI have a fantastic network of volunteers who help over 100,000 children across the country every year. We are delighted to help in any way we can to bring some happiness to the children’s ward in Mayo for Christmas, and our team will be distributing all 8,000 of our 100 per cent Irish annuals across the country this week with the help of CHI volunteers. In the last three years we have distributed more than €130,000 worth of our Christmas annuals to some of the sickest children in the country thanks to our partnership with CHI.”
Christmas is based on tradition and the Folens Christmas annuals are a staple childhood memory, having been around just as long as CHI, originating back in 1970. To learn more about CHI and the work it does, log on to childreninhospital.ie
