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Volunteers needed for 17 nights of Santa’s Gatelodge in Milford this Christmas!

It’s that time of year again! iCare’s biggest fundraiser is their Annual Christmas extravaganza Santa’s Gatelodge in Milford… this year they are running the Gatelodge for 17 nights!

And they need a fantastic team of volunteers to ensure that Santa’s Gatelodge lives up to its reputation as the best family Christmas experience around!

Santas Gatelodge is open from Friday, November 30 until Sunday, December 16. The first visit to Santa starts at 4.30pm at weekends & 5:30pm during the week and the last guest should leave the Gatelodge around 9.30/10pm.

They would love you to sign up for as many volunteer dates as possible.

They need enthusiastic, positive and committed volunteers who will play in their part in ensuring each child’s visit to Santa is a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing the look of excitement on their faces makes all the effort worthwhile.

They need volunteers who want to make a real difference and give back to their local community.

If you are interested in volunteering please email santa@hcil.com so they can get in touch.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in a truly magical experience.

You can give back and get involved in an amazing charity event right on your doorstep, in your local community.

iCare need your help to make each child’s visit to Santa a once in a lifetime experience and seeing the look of excitement of their faces is so rewarding.

Volunteering offers so many rewards including team building, team work, confidence building, life and work experience, leadership skills, organisational and people skills to mention a few.

They are also delighted that iCare is working in conjunction with Volunteer Now and any hours volunteered at Santa’s Gatelodge will go towards your Millennium Award.

If any of you are interested in this fantastic volunteering opportunity, please come along to the Volunteer Evening on: Wednesday, November 7 between 5pm and 7pm in Callan House, Milford to register your interest and find out further information.

If you are unable to attend the volunteer evening please register your interest with us today by emailing santa@hcil.com.

iCare was formed in 2010 by a group of employees in Homecare Independent Living in Milford.

The main aim of the charity is to deliver acts of kindness in communities across Ireland… making a real difference to people’s lives in either a personal or practical way.

This is done through the iCare Wish Initiative. Any member of the public can nominate someone they feel deserves a special wish that would make a real difference to their lives, this can be something as simple as planting a cherry blossom tree to brighten up a garden or something as complex as a piece of medical equipment.

What began with 1-2 wishes per year in 2012, the initiative has expanded to 14 fantastic iCare Wishes granted in 2018. These wishes would not be possible without the fundraising efforts of our amazing team of volunteers!

iCare is 100% volunteer led which means that every single penny goes straight to the charity to grant iCare Wishes in our local communities.

iCare wishes can make a real difference to people’s lives and to give you an idea of this I want to tell you about a recent wish we granted for a very deserving recipient. The iCare Committee received an iCare Wish nomination for a fun-loving boy, Reece Burrows. At the young age of only 8 years old, Reece is forced to fight a constant battle with Cerebral Palsy along with other special needs, which has left him reliant on medical attention from his family throughout the day and night.

iCare was delighted to present the Banbridge family with a new bed that can be placed in Reece’s room for his parents who act as his main carers, to help with night time care.

The specialised bed which also folds into a chair, has provided an opportunity to reduce risk for the family, so that they are able to keep a close eye on Reece. The latest wish proves, that much like a bed, an iCare Wish can come in all shapes or sizes.

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