Southill Takes Top Honours at 2011 Pride of Place Awards Posted on November 7th, 2011
Southill Family Resource Centre has taken the top prize in the ‘Community Health Initiative’ category at the 2011 Pride of Place Awards.
Limerick‘s Get BACk Challenge was also an award winner, taking the second prize in the ‘Sport in the Community’ Section of the Pride of Place competition which recognises the selfless work being carried out in communities all over Ireland.
In total, four Limerick city projects from the community and voluntary sector were in the running to win a prestigious Pride of Place Award 2011 in the Co-operation Ireland Pride of Place Cities Competition.
The winners were announced at a gala Awards Night in Gorey, Co Wexford last Saturday, November 5th.
Set up in 2000, the award winning Health Matters Naturally Project is based in the Southill Family Resource Centre in O’Malley Park, Limerick.
Run by volunteers, the Project offers free alternative health services to children and adults of all ages, living in the Southill area and outreach support to a number of other local communities across the City, including Bio-Resonance Allergy Testing, Indian Head Massage, Relaxation Techniques, Reiki, Smoking Cessation Programme, and Energy Healing.
The Southill Family Resource Centre itself offers additional services, including music therapy and bereavement counselling. Local healthcare professionals and social workers recognise the benefits of Southill FRC’s alternative health initiative and demand is growing for the therapies on offer at the Centre .
The award winning ‘Get BACk Challenge’ was founded by a group of Limerick business people in 2006. Run on a completely voluntary basis, it aims to encourage and support participation of disadvantaged children and young people in sports and physical activity.
Its programmes promote healthy and active lifestyles, to help prevent childhood obesity and cancer. Also, through sport, it fosters community partnership and aims to bring organisations together to enjoy and develop all that is good about sport in Limerick, whilst combating social exclusion.
It also supports disability groups in facilitating access to and regular participation in sports and physical activities by children and young people with learning or physical disabilities.
Limerick City Council had nominated Southill Family Resource Centre, the Moyross Residents Forum, The Get BACk Challenge and Limerick Civic Trust for awards in the Pride of Place Cities Competition.
Mayor of Limerick, Cllr. Jim Long said he wanted to congratulate all the winners and nominees which “have made Limerick city tremendously proud.”
Pride of Place is an initiative of the local authority all-Ireland Steering Forum. The forum is hosted by Co-operation Ireland, a charity which has been involved in promoting peace-building activities North and South for the last 30 years.
Judging of Limerick City’s entries to the Pride of Place competition took take place last July.
