UL Student Life, the student representative body of University of Limerick, has presented €10,000 to two local charities.
GOSHH and Limerick Suicide Watch have each received €5,000, which was raised by UL students through a number of events as part of this year's Charity Week.
The annual fundraising event saw over 6,000 students entertained by The Tumbling Paddies, Abbaesque and Yazmin Gardezi in the student courtyard along with an array of daytime events and fundraising activities supporting both charity partners.
GOSHH focus on the promotion of equality and wellbeing of all with a positive and respectful approach to sexual orientation and gender diversity. They provide a safe, confidential, welcoming environment for everyone they work with across Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary.
Verena Tarpey, Chief Executive Officer of GOSHH thanked UL Student Life and the student body for their generosity. Speaking of the donation Verena noted that GOSHH “rely on fundraising to help keep our doors open.
“The amount we receive today will go towards a new campaign we’re launching on sexual health and STI testing, targeted towards the cohort of third level students in particular.”
Limerick Suicide Watch (LSW) are a suicide prevention group based in Limerick City, made up of sixty volunteers, who patrol the bridges and the banks of the River Shannon at night, helping people who are in distress or who may be feeling suicidal.
Joan Forde, one of the longest serving members of Limerick Suicide Watch said the charity are always updating the vital equipment they need to patrol the river.
“We are always updating our equipment and right now we are looking at a new set of radios for the patrol team which will cost €5,000 or more.”
Limerick Suicide Watch are also in the process of trying to secure their own building which they explain will be expensive to buy and refurbish but are hopeful they will soon have a base of their own.
Student President Ronan Cahill said: “I am incredibly proud to present €5,000 to each of our two fantastic charities, who do phenomenal work in our region. Charity Week was an absolutely brilliant week, which saw a great buzz around campus and, of course, the incredible amount of money raised by our students for our two important charity partners, who they chose to support at the beginning of the year.”
Charity Week is organised and ran annually by UL Student Life and led by their Events & Engagement team, who said: “It is fantastic to return to sold out events in the Student Courtyard and being able to bring well-known acts to Limerick to entertain thousands of students. While many other colleges are struggling to get engagement and attendance at large-scale events, we are proud to be able to provide a mix of both big events and smaller, fun events throughout the week, ensuring there is something on offer for every student.”