Free accommodation for people with loved ones in Galway Hospice

A city hotelier has led a new initiative which will help families of loved ones in the Galway Hospice.

Geoff Canavan of the 7 Cross Street boutique hotel is offering free accommodation at his premises to the Hospice.

Rooms, when available, will be offered free of charge to people who need to recharge their batteries during vigils with their loved ones in the Hospice in Renmore.

Geoff explained that the idea came to him after losing a sister to cancer recently when he realised the importance of spending precious time with someone who is ill.

“I met with the administrator of the Galway Hospice and they have welcomed and are supporting it. Obviously we can only offer this during our downtime months, probably up until next March, but I wouldn’t rule out it being available during the rest of the year if we have rooms available.

“It would be brilliant if bigger hotels would also come on board. We are only a small hotel but bigger hotels here in Galway or in other cities around the country could do this all year round.

“This will be monitored by the Hospice – it’s not a case of us giving rooms to people landing at the door saying they have a family member in the Hospice. I expect it to work on referrals from the Hospice,” explained Mr Canavan.

He said that his own family experience with the Hospice got him thinking what other families from outside the city and county did when the needed to be near loved ones.

“Spending time with someone who’s dying in a hospice is precious. You can’t put a value on that – it’s priceless.  But sadly some can’t afford accommodation in the city,” he added.

Mary Nash, Administrator of Galway Hospice said Mr Canavan’s offer was welcomed and would certainly complement the Hospice’s own in-house facilities and two self-catering lodges that they have access to nearby.

“We are delighted with his offer of hotel accommodation for individuals who have distances to travel and want to stay over and spend time close to their loved ones in their final days.

“We already have two self-catering lodges close to the hospice which have been made available to families who wish to stay close, but since our recent expansion these are often occupied so it is wonderful to have another accommodation option that we can offer to families.

“Often, family members need to take a break to freshen up and recharge their batteries so the option of availing of a hotel room for even a few hours is really welcome,” added Ms Nash.