ELECTION fever has spread to Tralee Food Festival where local candidates have been offered a guaranteed seat in the annual Office Chair Racing for Kerry Mental Health Association from 5.30pm on Friday 17th May.
All 16 Tralee Municipal District hopefuls have been invited to enter the competition in Abbey Carpark at the new Sound-Bite Festival Marquee to literally kick-start this year’s three-day culinary extravaganza in Kerry’s Capital.
The politicians and other competitors from the world of sport and business will each pay a €50 entry fee which will support Kerry Mental Health Association.
The General Manager of Kerry Mental Health Association, John Drummey, said, “While food lovers are preparing for the Taste Trail treats, they can enjoy watching some well-known and less well-known people from our community scramble for success on their office chairs. This event will once again help shine a spotlight on the importance of minding our own mental health and that of our colleagues at work as much as anywhere else. On top of that, it’s a truly hilarious and fun evening’s entertainment. We are grateful to Mike Quirke in Office and Ink Supplies in the Monavalley Industrial Estate for coming on board as a sponsor of this year’s event.”
All the election candidates in the Tralee Municipal District have been invited to enter the races and as of the launch the following have confirmed their support:
Anluan Dunne (GP), Cllr Mikey Sheehy (FF), Anne O’Sullivan (FF), the Mayor of Tralee Cllr Terry O’Brien (Lab), Ben Slimm (Lab), Angie Baily (FG), Sinead Donnelly (FG), Cllr Cathal Foley (SF), Cllr Deirdre Ferris (SF), Paul Daly (SF), Paddy Kevane (SF), Mistura Oyebanji (SD), Cllr Sam Locke (Ind), Eddie O’Grady (Ind/IPP) and Jacob Sweeney (NP).
Ken Tobin from the Tralee Food Festival Organising Team said, “We are delighted to team-up with Kerry Mental Health Association as our charity partner for the second year. We proudly support the charity’s ongoing work while promoting the connection between healthy eating, fun, exercise, and overall well-being.”
Volunteers from Kerry Mental Health Association will be on hand at the key Tralee Food Festival venues over the weekend giving customers an opportunity to make a donation towards the charity.
The people who volunteer with Kerry Mental Health Association do so in a variety of ways, including:
- Befriending through visits to mental health service users who are in hospital or at home
- Attending day centres to assist social activities
- Trips and outings to local attractions, attend/host Christmas parties, birthday parties, hampers, and gifts
- Provide mental health first aid training and facilitate other mental health training programmes
- Help secure grants to cover expenses associated with the needs of people in our community with mental ill-health
- Donating time and professional expertise for various fundraising / promotional / administrative needs
Kerry Mental Health Association’s branches organise or provide financial support for various therapies that may be helpful. Many of the services are provided in the various local HSE-run Day Care Centres throughout the county. For more information, visit www.KerryMentalHealth.ie or contact [email protected].
