Over two decades of service to the Friends of St Ita’s in Newcastle West was marked recently when Fergus Scanlan was accorded a mayoral reception by Limerick Mayor Cllr Gerard Mitchell. Speaking at the reception, Mayor Mitchell said that the Friends of St Ita’s was set up in 2002 to support management and staff at St Ita’s, and also to raise funds for the provision of services and the purchase of equipment and aids for the elderly residents of the hospital. This has proved very successful, raising over €4 million for the community hospital, and Fergus has been a key component in this success, so much so that he was named Limerick person of the Month in early 2023.
The Mayor added that the fundraising success was greatly helped by JP McManus and his committee which has provided funding for various projects through the very successful Adare Pro-Ams, and on reciving the Limerick Person of the Year Award last year, Fergus was joined by treasurer Geralding Loughnane and secretary Margaret Culhane.
St Ita’s provides a vital community service, with over 90 patients and 28 rehab beds, and the Friends of St Ita’s group is committed to continuing to do everything possible to improve the very high standard of care which is provided to residents.
Two other recipients of mayoral awards on the day were Siobhan Walsh from Fedamore who has given over three decades of support to GOAL, and Moyross native Hayleigh Kiely who was crowned world champion kickboxer in 2023.
In concluding his speech, Mayor Mitchell congratulated the three mayoral award recipients, adding that they are great ambassadors for Limerick city and county.