Nenagh to host community Christmas Day dinner

An open invitation has been extended to anyone in the Nenagh and North Tipperary area wishing to attend the Community Christmas Day dinner.
Also, a ‘meals on wheels’ service is being offered to anyone within a five-mile radius of the town.
Up to 100 guests are expected to attend the Nenagh Community Christmas Day dinner, which is now in its fourth year.
Sandra Farrell, a community volunteer and healthcare provider who set up the service in 2016, expects a big turnout at the local Scouts Hall on Christmas Day.
“Since the inaugural Christmas Day Community dinner in 2016, this community initiative has been a great success. Everyone and anyone that would like to attend from Nenagh and its environs is welcome. Many services do not operate on Christmas Day and many people are left with no resources, no one to share this special day with, or no one to talk to and nowhere to go.
“We serve approximately 150 dinners between guests attending and meals on wheels. The feeling of family/community is at the heart of this initiative and this is very important, so that it doesn’t feel like an organised event, rather a friendly gathering at Christmas. It is meant to be fun and informal and an opportunity to be with other people and maybe make new friends,” Sandra, a former Mayor of Nenagh, said.
“I would encourage people from all different walks of life to attend this community event. There is no stigma attached. For example, we had guests last year who had just had come off night duty and their family was up the country. We had guests attend that were alone on Christmas Day and would like to have company and a bit of fun and festivities. There is no differentiation made between our guests and volunteers, all of us sit down and eat together.”
Ms Farrell, a general election candidate for Fianna Fáil, also set up the Nenagh Community Food Bank in August last year, where approximately 75-100 families per week are given a contribution towards their weekly food supplies. Together with Mid West Simon Community, she is also hoping to secure much needed funds to set up a new food bank in Roscrea.
“This Christmas Day dinner is separate from politics and separate from the food bank. I have been a community volunteer for 20 years. I believe community matters and we should all do what we can to help our local community, especially at Christmas, which is a tough time for a lot of people. Our dinner service is aimed at the wider community. You don’t have to be in need of help; you might just be in need of company. This is an open invitation to come and join us for an informal, fun day together.
“On Christmas Eve, we will be preparing the food and decorating the venue. Volunteers are on stand-by to collect any of our guests on Christmas morning who require a pick-up service. Once at the Scouts Hall we all will enjoy some carol singing, entertainment and a traditional, freshly cooked lunch.
“It is our intention to have a fun-filled festive day starting at 12 midday. This event is free to all who attend.”
“We will be doing a ‘meals on wheels’ service to people within a five-mile radius of Nenagh. The dinners will be delivered by our volunteers around midday.
“We must say a special thanks to the Nenagh Choral Society committee for the use of the Scouts Hall and to various other businesses and organisations for their support of our initiative.
“This community initiative is held in memory of my very dear friend Ollie Hickey who was the chef, and one of the main driving forces behind the continued success of this event. Sadly, Ollie passed away two years ago.”

HOW TO TAKE PART
If you would like to join us as a guest or you would like to avail of the ‘meals on wheels’ service, then please call or text Sandra 087 6989401/ 083 1231269 or email sandra@sandrafarrell.com Pre-booking is essential.