Army officers will push big gun for city charities

Date Published: {J}

Officers of the Defence Forces attending 3rd level college in Galway will be staging a Gun Push in the city on Friday to raise money for charity.

The challenge will involve officers pushing a two tonne 105mm artillery gun down Shop Street from 11am until 4pm. Monies raised will go to the Galway Hospice Foundation and the John Paul Centre.

In 2008, the USAC Lions Club was established by Defence Forces Officers currently attending college in Galway in order to increase their contribution to Galway-based fund-raising activities.

The event will be launched from the top of Shop Street with music provided by the 1st Infantry Battalion Pipers.

The Galway Hospice Foundation provides a wide range of specialist palliative care services, which include Home Care, Inpatient Care, Day Care, Bereavement Support and Education. The Home Care service, which has been in operation since 1990, currently provides in the region of 5,000 “Hospice at Home” visits every year throughout county Galway, including the Aran Islands. The Hospice specialist nurses work in close collaboration with the General Practitioners to support patients and families in their home environment for as long as possible. The Day Care service provides a blend of clinical, therapeutic and recreational supports for patients, serving as a link between inpatient and community-based services. Both the Home Care and Day Care services are funded entirely by voluntary contributions, such as the USAC Gun Push.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.