“I’ve been collecting with Galway Hospice for over 30 years.”

30 years supporting Galway Hospice in Gort

“I’ve been collecting with Galway Hospice for over 30 years. My daughter was doing her Leaving Cert when one of her friends became very sick. She lived outside Gort, up in a mountain area, and Galway Hospice was coming out to the house to look after her. My daughter said, ‘Why can’t we do something?’ So from that, we started fundraising — and 30 years later, we’re still doing the collection in Gort, which is great.

Galway Hospice was absolutely brilliant back then. To be able to come out to people’s homes like that so many years ago was amazing. And if they could do that then, you can only imagine the facilities and support they are giving people now.

The Generosity of Gort

People are so generous. We just stand there on the street and you don’t even have to ask people. All the volunteers and helpers are brilliant and the local businesses are fantastic as well — they let us stand outside their shops, and if it’s raining they’ll even bring you a cup of coffee. It’s brilliant.

Last year alone, in Gort, our collection on the Friday and Saturday raised over €5,000, which was excellent money. And if you think about it over all the years we’ve been collecting, it has amounted to a lot.

Seeing the Difference Hospice Care Makes

I think nearly everybody understands hospice care now because so many people have had family members cared for by the hospice. I had a cousin here myself. We used to come in and visit her, and she was so happy. The entertainment she got, the kindness — she was never sad when we were leaving her. She was always happy, which is a wonderful thing to say.

Receiving the Hospice Hero Award this year was wonderful, but I was a bit embarrassed because it’s not just me. It’s all the helpers and volunteers who have been with me for years helping with the collection. It was lovely to be acknowledged, but it really belongs to everybody involved.

And of course we’re looking forward to this year’s Sunflower Days again. A lot of my friends say to me, ‘Don’t forget to include me this time — give me a call when it’s coming up.’ And I do.”

– Rita Molloy, Galway Hospice Volunteer