Picture Special

Mary Ellen Holohan, Aoife Lennon, Kerimus Kavaliauskas, Billy Pierce and Sean Lennon

Teresa and Jennifer Brett

Anne Walsh, Joanne Walsh, Ger Cody Lizann and Emily Dalton Isabellelorini and Ryan Deegan

About WITH Danny Lahart Out &

Frank Cody and Anne Fogarty

Shane, Abbi, Leah and Mya Nolan. Ger and Gillian Hennessy

Tom Kelly, Rosie , Lucy and Emily Bradley

John McGuiness and his son Mayor Andrew McGuiness calling in ro visit John and Mary Kelly during Newpark residents firld day

Kilkenny Quilters show their support for Teac Tom

THEY started this beautiful ‘You’re a Star’ quilt during the lockdown as a project to keep its members busy and to help them stay connected. Members made 80 crisscross star blocks in total and 72 were used for the quilt. It was sandwiched and quilted by Mary Palmer, a quilter and textile artist from Cork. The remaining eight blocks were made into individual cushions. The members of the branch are no strangers to fundraising and have previously raised funds for Cois Nore and the Susie Long Hospice.

TEAC TOM

This time they decided to raffle the quilt and donate the proceeds to Teac Tom, a well-known mental health support charity based in Kilkenny. Founded in 2014 by Angela Hayes and her family, Teac Tom provides suicide intervention and support services for those affected by or bereaved by suicide. The charity was founded in response to the death of Angela’s own son Thomas, on the anniversary of his dad’s death. Teac Tom provide a 24-hour helpline, immediate intervention and professional counselling services to those in Kilkenny and the surrounding areas. Last year a new centre was opened in Stradbally, Co. Laois. Currently the Stradbally centre is operating on an appointment only service but will be open as a drop-in centre from September this year.

Angela Hayes, CEO of Teac Tom, says that the last 18 months have been extremely challenging as the pandemic has severely restricted their fundraising capabilities, while at the same time experiencing an increased demand for services. It wasn’t possible to hold any of the very popular flagship events such as the Round the Clock Cycle, Teddy Bear’s Picnic or New Year’s Eve Gala Ball. “Teac Tom has kept its doors open throughout the pandemic, as we are an essential service. The demand on our services has increased greatly and we are providing 80-100 hours of counselling each week. Over the last few months, we are seeing a big increase in people contacting us with anxiety as the full impact of the pandemic is felt across businesses, communities and for individuals. We are dealing with 2-3 interventions per week and have seen a 46% increase in the number of adolescents contacting us. It is still a very worrying time for many, and we predict that there will be a huge strain on mental health services across Ireland over the next few years. Fundraisers such as this provide vital resources to us so that we can continue to reach everyone who needs help.” The team at Teac Tom is hoping that things will settle down after the summer and they will resume their outreach and education programmes with secondary schools, clubs and businesses. “We have always received great support from the people of Kilkenny. The reality is that most of us know someone who has been impacted by mental health struggles or suicide. Teac Tom is here to continue to support people and let them know that it’s ok to ask for help, it’s good to talk and it really can help.”

Fundraising Raffle

The ‘You’re a Star’ quilt has been donated to Teac Tom for a fundraising raffle and the members sincerely hope that the raffle will be well supported to raise funds for Teac Tom. The decision to donate to Teac Tom was made by the committee, led by Teresa Broderick and Margaret McEvoy. Teresa says “We donated the quilt to Teac Tom who provide a very important service in Kilkenny. ‘You’re a Star’ speaks to everyone who is in distress and to remind them that everyone is a star in their own right.” The handmade quilt would be a wonderful addition to any home, made with love and care by a passionate group of people, whose hobby kept them going through lockdown. It will fit a double-bed and is approx 92” x 104”. In addition, there are eight colourful cushions which are being sold at Teac Tom for €25 each. The quilt raffle will be held in September 2021 and tickets are just €5 each or 5 for €20. Tickets are available online at www. idonate.ie/raffle/irishpatchworksociety or at Teac Tom, 15 Ormonde Rd., Kilkenny.

Teac Tom and the Irish Patchwork Society would like to thank Meubles, Kilkenny where the beautiful quilt was photographed by Liam Cahill from the Camera Club. New members to the IPS are always welcome, details of the local branch can be found on their Facebook page.

The quilt can be viewed from August 12- 15, during Kilkenny Arts Week, at the Chapter House at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Tickets for the raffle will also be available during that time.

Teac Tom is open Monday – Friday, 9.30am – 5pm, 15 Ormonde Rd. Kilkenny.

Call 056 7796592 for an appointment or email thethomashayestrust@gmail.com

Walk-in services are limited at the moment but there is always someone at the end of the phone.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Irish Patchwork Society and the members of the South Midlands Branch, which covers Kilkenny, Carlow, Tipperary and Laois, have been hard at work.

Teac Tom, 15 Ormonde Rd, Kilkenny 056 7796592 www.thethomashayestrust. com

The importance of napping and/or mediation and the down regulating of your system

EOIN EVERARD

I AM such a big fan of naps during the day, but some people find it very difficult to do this. I don’t care if I actually sleep. What I am trying to do is down regulate my system. Things can be very go, go, go! Without even noticing we can constantly be working hard and holding a bit of stress. That is why I try get at least a 30 minute nap. This way I get a chance to tune out, restart and go again. The science is there to show that this improves productivity. This means you gain time by napping or meditating rather than waste it!

My key for napping is that I just put something on a podcast that I find mildly interesting but don’t care in the slightest if I zone out (Nerd soup Game of Thrones reviews are my one of choice at the moment). I set my timer for between 30 and 45 minutes depending on the time I have. I just close my eyes, focus on breathing into my stomach and see what happens. Sometimes I sleep sometimes I don’t but just having my eyes closed allows for that ‘reset’ time. You might just focus on your breath. Breathe into your nose and out of your nose. Just focus on the bridge of your nose with your eyes closed. If you feel your mind wonder just come back to the breath each time.

Don’t say you don’t have time. That is quite frankly rubbish! You can eat a (pitta bread) sandwich really quickly and be ready to go. I often do this in my car when lecturing. I move my car to a quiet spot and recline the seat or if a quiet spot is not available just hop in your car, close your eyes and focus on your breath for 10 minutes to down regulate your system. Nobody will miss you in the canteen! Life is easy when you live it the hard way and hard when you live it the easy way. It’s easy just to scroll on facebook, or make stupid small talk in a canteen, or watch home and away. But unless these things give you energy you might be much better off going to your car and meditating or napping if possible. See if it doesn’t make a big difference to your energy levels in 2 weeks or so.

For more information like this you can download my book and audiobook version at www.everardpilates. com/book.

If you are active at least 3 times per week and want something to keep you strong and injury free then our Beginners Sports Pilates could be perfect for you. For a free trial to see if it is right for you visit www.everardpilates.com/ sportpilates.