BANTRY Red Cross group held their second annual John Connolly Memorial Community Awards recently in memory of a great volunteer and Red Cross member, John Connolly.
BANTRY Red Cross group held their second annual John Connolly Memorial Community Awards recently in memory of a great volunteer and Red Cross member, John Connolly, who passed away two years ago.
John was a community person in every sense of the word. The calibre of nominations from the Bantry area was outstanding and the judges had some difficult choicse to make.
Debbie Delaney was crowned the overall winner of the John Connolly Perpetual Memorial Award 2019 for her exceptional volunteering and work in the community for years through work with the local football club, Tidy Towns and Community Alert to name but a few. John’s family were there to present the award and remember their amazing brother.
The runner up award went to local man William (Bill) O’Brien. Everyone in the local area has witnessed bill tireless work come rain or shine sweeping paths and picking leaves. He works away day after day with a cheerful smile and greeting for everyone that passes.
Chairwoman of the Tidy Towns, Winnie O’Sullivan, accepted the award on behalf of Bill and thanked him most sincerely for all his help and effort, which helped Bantry win Ireland’s Best-Kept Town award recently.
MC for the night Richard Harrington. He thanked Heather McCarthy and the judging committee for selecting a worthy winner from all the great nominations.
Community Garda Brigid Hartnett paid tribute to the late John Connolly and thanked the Red Cross and the Connolly family for recognising the significance of community spirit and honouring such a great man.
