COPE Galway has launched a #SwimWhereYouAre Christmas event, which will take place over 10 days from 21-30 December.
The event is a creative version of the traditional Christmas Day Swim fundraiser. “We’re asking Galwegians at home and abroad to register online and we’ll post out a t-shirt. You can swim at your nearest beach and post a photo on social media of you braving the cold winter waters,” explains Community Fundraiser, Lynia O’Brien.
Over the past 30 years, thousands of people from Galway and beyond have gathered with friends and family at Salthill on Christmas Day to take part in the annual swim and raise funds for COPE Galway. While the 2020 Christmas Swim will be different so that we can keep one another safe, the local organisation wants to give everyone the opportunity to connect with each other, create good memories and make a difference in the lives of people in Galway who need the support of COPE Galway’s services.
Lynia continued, “With so many people unable to travel home this Christmas, we are hoping that this is something families can do together to stay connected – even though they are apart.”
Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill, Presenter of Rugbaí BEO on TG4 will be one of the many lining up to swim for COPE Galway. In launching the event, she said, “I’m very excited that 2020 isn’t going to rob me of the traditional Christmas swim! It’s one of my Christmas highlights and it’s amazing that we can all join together & support this fantastic cause from wherever we are”.
The Christmas Swim raises vital funds that the charity relies on every year. Last year almost €50,000 was raised at the event and over half of that was from bucket collections on the day.
“Although we can’t be together in Salthill on the day, shaking a bucket and handing out warm cups of tea, we are giving everyone an opportunity to continue their Christmas Swim tradition. We are also asking everyone who can, to sponsor a swimmer if you cannot swim yourself. You can participate and raise funds from anywhere in the world – and stay connected to Galway this Christmas,” said Lynia.
All funds raised by this event will help support COPE Galway’s services for people affected by homelessness, women and children experiencing domestic abuse, and support older people at risk of social and nutritional isolation in Galway.
To register and for further information please visit copegalway.ie/swim.
Contact Lynia O’Brien – 086 859 78 98 / 091 778 750 | lobrien@copegalway.ie
Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill, Presenter of Rugbaí BEO on TG4 and COPE Galway board member, launched the #SwimWhereYouAre for COPE Galway Christmas event, which will take place over 10 days from 21-30 December, at your nearest beach, wherever you are in the world.
Speaking of the reimagined annual Christmas Swim, Máire Treasa said, “I’m very excited that 2020 isn’t going to rob me of the traditional Christmas swim! It’s one of my Christmas highlights and it’s amazing that we can all join together & support this fantastic cause from wherever we are”.
COPE Galway Background Information
COPE Galway is a local Galway organisation whose vision is for a community where every person is valued, cared for and supported at every stage of life. COPE Galway understands, respects and responds to the needs of people who struggle with the challenges of homelessness and domestic abuse and supports older people towards healthy and active ageing.
In 2019, COPE Galway worked with 2,984 vulnerable people in Galway. This included 1,189 adults and 433 children affected by homelessness, (187 families and 868 single people). They also worked with 638 individual women and their children who were experiencing Domestic Abuse, produced and delivered 61,016 meals to older clients and to their services around Galway and worked with 724 older people at risk of isolation. The organisation also supported 2,938 individuals with food from the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD) Programme and distributed over 700 school kits.
COPE Galway’s new strategy for 2020-2025 focuses the organisation on its mission: Making a difference by empowering people, creating change and strengthening communities. COPE Galway places its values – rights, respect, hope, community, safety and professionalism – at the heart of its work in the community.