3 October 2022
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
St Luke’s Charity and Home celebrate 150th anniversary this year, but funds are required to maintain existing level of services
One of Ireland’s and Cork’s oldest residential care homes will host their well-known annual Lunch Fundraiser for the first time since 2019 in celebration of its 150th anniversary this year.
St Luke’s Home will host their Annual Corporate Lunch for both corporates and individuals in the Maryborough Hotel, Douglas on October 13th. The event, sponsored by Davy Group, will begin with a reception at 12:15pm, with lunch served at 1pm sharp.
The annual lunch will also feature the CEO of Irish Mainport Holdings, Mr. Dave Roynane, as the guest speaker on the day, with Irish Mainport Holdings actively involved in all things shipping in the Port of Cork and elsewhere over the last 65 years.
The primary aim of the event is to raise vital funds for St Luke’s Charity and Home – in addition to celebrating what is a special landmark anniversary for the care home.
St Lukes has an impressive building off Castle Road, Mahon which opened in 1994 here. Prior to that the home was in a well-known redbrick building off Military Hill, Cork City which became the Ambassador Hotel, then the Address Hotel.
All funds raised will be put towards supporting all of St Luke’s services, but in particular it will support the Dementia unit and the local free Community Dementia Service.
This service is part of St Luke’s Home’s Charitable Outreach and Partnership Programme and provides information, advice and personalised support and acts a single point of contact for people with Dementia and their families.
St. Luke’s Home Cork continuously provides residential care for 128 residents and 100 Daycare clients every week, as well as training for the wider health care sector through their purpose-built Education and Research Centre – Northridge House Education and Research Centre at St Luke’s Cork.
Through the centre, St. Luke’s has developed links with University College Cork and Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, and this is in alignment with their wider strategic plan to provide a best-in-class education and research hub for Dementia Care.
Founded in 1872 by Miss Frances Fitzgerald Gregg (daughter of Bishop John Gregg), St Luke’s Home originally accommodated just 19 residents, before the home’s move to Military Hill in 1879, where it remained for 115 years. The purpose built 128-bed facility in Mahon originally opened in 1994 and includes the 38-bed Dementia Unit.
CEO of St Luke’s Home Tony O’Brien paid tribute to the generosity of businesses and the people of Cork over the years for consistently helping them to reach their fundraising requirements.
He said:
“This year is an important year for the charity and the home as we celebrate our 150th anniversary. It is a significant achievement to continue to be a leader in the care of older people after such a long time and it is down to our residents, families, staff, volunteers, supporters, and friends.
“Providing our services at the expected level requires a continued focus and drive on our fundraising requirements each year. Our annual fundraising target is €500,000 and since 2020, our fundraising capability has slowed to a stop. September 2022 has seen our Foundation recommence its event schedule, albeit slowly and carefully.
We’re delighted to have Davy on board as sponsors of our Annual Corporate Lunch this year. Our annual fundraising target remains at €500,000 and we could not attempt to reach that without the generosity and the support of businesses and the wider public who have consistently helped us to maintain our model of care.”
Davy Group is Ireland’s largest stockbroker, wealth manager, asset manager and financial advisor and has offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway and London.
Cedric Heather, Director of Davy Private Clients, said the group were keen to partner with St Luke’s Home and Charity for the event.
He added:
“St Luke’s Home are instrumental in delivering the highest standard of care for dementia patients across Ireland. We are delighted to support their outstanding work and support services for patients and families through our sponsorship of the Annual Corporate Lunch.”
Companies or individuals are invited to book a table at the St Luke’s Home 150th Anniversary Lunch by contacting 021 4359444 or emailing info@stlukeshome.ie , with the cost is €850 per table or €90 per person.
Donations can also be made by visiting their iDonate page – https://www.idonate.ie/cause/stlukeshome -or you can visit the website – www.stlukeshome.ie or contact St Luke’s Home Foundation directly on 021 4359444.