Templeogue Men’s Shed Fundraising Calendar For Laura Lynn

Joe McDonagh of Templeogue Men’s Shed contacted us recently to let us know about the shed’s stellar fundraising effort for the very worthwhile charity Laura Lynn: Ireland’s Children’s Hospice. Laura Lynn provides a Community of Care that offers services to children with palliative care needs, complex care needs and complex disabilities, while also providing family support services and a home to residents where quality-of-life is paramount.

At Christmas 2019, the shed had decked the halls and did some carol singing outside their local shops to raise €1700 for the charity. In 2020, the lads were unable to do that due to the pandemic – so they had to think outside the box. Says Joe: ‘we had an idea to produce a calendar, using images taken by our shed members in our camera club. We are lucky to have a professional photographer in our group who has been teaching us how to use smartphone cameras as well as using traditional cameras.’

Using their photos, the shed had 400 calendars printed with members purchasing many as gifts. The local church, cafe and some shops supported the effort and pitched in to sell additional copies. As a result, Templeogue Men’s Shed sent a cheque to LauraLynn for whopping €4,150. An amazing result, of which the men of the shed are justifiably very proud.