Ever since it opened its welcoming doors and facilities in the spring of 2002, Castleisland Day Care Centre management and clients have looked outward to see what they could do for deserving, local charities.
Since then they have been baking, crocheting, knitting and sewing their way down through the years and all for good causes.
They either sold the produce of their talents locally and donated the proceeds or presented their work directly to those chosen as beneficiaries.
The latest burst of altruism from the centre comes in the form of knitted blankets and money presented by the team there to Breda Dyland, manager of the Kerry Cancer Support Group Health Link Transport.
Health Link Transport 14 Years Old
The Health Link Transport group was established 14 years ago to provide essential transport services to and from Cork to enable cancer patients attend appointments to receive treatment.
Over the years the 100% voluntary funded organisation has provided transport to over 75% of those diagnosed in the region to cancer related appointments.
From humble beginnings in 2010 the service now provides practical supports to service users such as: a free bus service five days a week; bridging transport service provided in a jeep sponsored by Ford and an information service to schools and community groups and a peer companion service. Over two million kilometres have been covered while taking service users to eight hospitals across Cork, Limerick and Galway in the past 14 years.
Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle
“We replaced our Cork bus with a wheelchair accessible one in 2023. The service is only made possible by the dedication of our bus drivers and volunteers. We help people through their journey with the help of funding of community groups, donations, sponsorship and fundraising activities,” said Breda Dyland who was in Castleisland for the the presentation at the day care centre.
Ms. Dyland said that the service is completely free to the users and confidentiality is guaranteed. “We have an arrangement with the hospitals where our service users have a ‘block booking’ which means that those who travel on the buses are seen together so there are no delays and long waiting times for appointments.
The Biggest Concerns
“The demand for the transport service has been increasing each year. Transport to and from appointments benefit the patient and also family members and can reduce a lot of anxiety and stress. “Our service users stay in touch long after their time on the bus has finished.
We like to say they start as patients and leave as friends and no one should face their cancer journey alone,” she said and she went on to explain that your donations and money your money goes into funding the operation of the healthlink transport services
“Fourteen years ago, we listened. One of the biggest concerns for those being diagnosed with cancer in our region was how to get to our centres of excellence for treatment.
Meeting the Needs of People
In 2010 Kerry Cancer Support Group put a service on the road to meet that need and 14 years later we are still meeting the needs not only of people in Kerry but in parts of Cork and Limerick too.
“Transport is seen as an essential part of treatment. We are a community based charity and provide a community based transport service to people accessing Cancer Treatment Centres in Kerry, Cork and Limerick.
“We have on average 200 fundraisers a year and we give on average 30 awareness talks to schools and groups throughout the year.
“We have eight women’s groups around the county and beyond knitting and crocheting blankets for our care packs and we’re so grateful to all at Castleisland Day Care Centre for their great work and donations to the service we provide.
A Hug from Someone You Don’t Know
“The blankets knit by our supporters at Castleisland Day Care Centre are part of a ‘comfort package’ presented to our passengers when they set out on their treatment journeys. One passenger summed up the impact of receiving the blanket when she said that it was like getting a hug from someone you don’t even know,” said Breda.
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