Elizabeth Naughton from Roscommon has been shortlisted for this year’s Volunteer Ireland Awards. These national awards will celebrate Ireland’s unsung heroes at a special ceremony in Sligo, the 2017 European Volunteering Capital, in December. One exceptional volunteer will be named Ireland’s Volunteer of the Year.
This year marks an extremely special year for the Volunteer Ireland Awards. Not only are they celebrating their tenth year, they will also form part of the prestigious closing ceremony of Sligo’s designation as European Volunteering Capital.
Elizabeth retired from her occupation as a community health nurse over eighteen years ago. During her time as a nurse she identified the need for a centre where older people could come for a meal and to engage in community activity and avail of other services. She felt this would be a very important facility for isolated people to help support them to continue living in their own homes. On retirement, she, with the support of a small committee, started her project with about ten older people attending weekly at a room in the dancehall at the Royal Oak. The centre was opened in 2000 and is a hive of activity today.
