Holding Back The Fears

Anne Ivory MON17JUNE24

t was back in 1994 that four hardy Greystones souls recognised a serious need in the town.

That need being some peace, love and some kind of understanding as to what lay ahead when it came to being diagnosed with cancer.

This fantastic four – Kathleen Kelleher, Irene Gaffey, Kay McGrath and Peggy O’Connor – set out with the simple mission of doing something nice for people who have cancer, from practical and physical help to just being someone to talk to.

And that’s just what Greystones Cancer Support has been doing for the past 30 years.

In that first year, it was four volunteers helping 10 people. In 2023, the number of volunteers had grown to 50, and in that year, 130 people had their heavy loads considerably lightened.

“Right now, we’ve got 450 people on our books,” says chair Anne Ivory when we met up at GCS’s HQ this afternoon. “And given that we’re client-led, what we have to offer is being constantly improved.

“Over the past 30 years, anything that didn’t work was discarded, and everything that did work has just gotten better and stronger…”

Getting by with a little help from their friends in Greystones Cancer Support has changed many a life around here, and many a family, and part of their 30th anniversary celebrations began last Thursday, with a fancy-pants lunch at The Glenview.

And the party will continue on Saturday, August 3rd, with a Picnic In The Park bringing the town together for music, face painting, readings, special guests and buckets more. And given that it’s a pure and simple celebration, there will be no actual buckets being shook on the day either.

“We just want to thank everyone involved with GCS over the years,” says Anne, “including all those wonderful people who have helped us, with fundraisers, with jumping on board as a volunteer, or those who have simply contributed…

“From the start, Greystones Cancer Support has always been about the simple act of being there for one another. Because with friends, life can be a picnic in the park…”

We’ll be adding more to the history of Greystones Cancer Support over the coming weeks, but, for now, we go archive digging with Anne…

You can explore our Greystones Cancer Support archives here, and find out more about the gang right over here.