Today on Morning Focus, Irish Wheelchair Association member Paul Fitzhenry joined Gavin in studio ahead of the launch of a calendar filled with sketches he has produced.
Paul produced a book of sketches while in hospital last year, and now with the intention of giving back to the Irish Wheelchair Association, he has created a calendar of those images. Paul suffers from chronic Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a problem with the nervous system which causes muscle weakness among other issues.
The launch takes place here in Ennis on Thursday, Oct 24th at 2 o’clock in the Irish Wheelchair Association Centre and is open to the public!
If you missed our chat with Paul you can catch it below:
On Morning Focus today, we heard from Sinead Perez, mother of Jordan, Sixmilebridge. Jordan is among the 25 children affected by this matter as he suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy and this year it was announced that funding had been granted to allow children who have this condition to gain access to life-improving drug, Spinraza.
However, four months on and the wait for the treatment continues.
Next on the show, Terry Fox, CEO of Cupprint Ltd. and Brid O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish spoke to Gavin about an event Guaranteed Irish have organised to help remind business members across various sectors nationwide of the need to prepare for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. The business membership organisation is working closely with business members in the Mid-West in preparation for a post-Brexit economy with an upcoming “Brexit- An Opportunity for the Midwest?” event at the Clayton Hotel, Limerick on October 23.
Next, we heard from Niamh, from Douglas, Cork, who has moved to Ennis and when she went to renew her car insurance, was given a quote that was over €200 more expensive than her previous premium.
She hadn’t made a claim, gotten penalty points or changed her car – the only difference was her address.
She’s gotten a better quote after shopping around, but still hasn’t been able to match what she would be paying in car insurance had she stayed in Cork.
You can listen back to Niamh’s story below:
Next Dave Flynn, Composer & Founder of the Irish Memory Orchestra and Bjorn Bantock, Orchestra Conductor joined us in studio ahead of a major event which is taking place in glór this Saturday, October 26th. Ennis will see the world premiere of ‘Vision Symphony’ as the Irish Memory Orchestra will be joined by Visually Impaired and Blind musicians at glór for a first in the world event. The well-known Visionaries Choir, led by Frank Kelly, will also take part.
If you missed our interview with Dave and Bjorn, you can listen back below:
Next on the show, Pauline McLynn, actress & comedienne, joined Gavin on the line as she’s a patron of Littlehill, who are running their next rescue run in Clare this Saturday, October 26th, when they will travel to Killaloe, Tuamgraney, Ennis and Ennistymon.
Pauline has helped out with rescues before and even knits Mrs Doyle themed tea-cosies that are sold in aid of LittleHill.
Listen back to our chat with Pauline below:
To round up today’s show, Frankie Coote, Clare Dog Warden joins us on the line for this week’s Animal Welfare Update.
