Cois Nore – Kilkenny’s Cancer Support Centre – a local service for local people
Cois Nore is Kilkenny’s Cancer Support centre, which provides free confidential support and both professional and voluntary services to people of all ages affected by cancer and their families to enable them to live well with their diagnosis.
According to Bill Cuddihy, Chairperson at Cois Nore “The Board, management and staff, and volunteers of Cois Nore are determined to develop a responsive well governed charity, fully adhering to best practice and subscribing to the highest standards of probity and transparency. And the people of Kilkenny can be confident that their generosity will be matched by Cois Nore’s ambition to provide high standard local services to local people. We recently adopted its Strategic Plan for 2022-2024, setting out objectives and goals to support this ambition”
Centre Manager, Mary Dolan advised “Cois Nore Cancer Support Centre offers a range of practical, emotional and therapeutic supports to people with a diagnosis of cancer and to their families including children and young people.
Our main objective is to create a safe and confidential setting where our professional staff members and trained volunteers can provide compassionate, practical and emotional support. Our service covers all areas of Kilkenny city and county, and all services are provided free of charge.”.
Services include counselling, lymphoedema massage, reflexology, group supports and activities. Services are available free of charge to people across a broad demographic spectrum.
The real Cois Nore heroes are the ‘Link’ volunteers -a dedicated group who act as the link between the Cois Nore client and the appropriate services.
Cois Nore also works with many community groups, businesses and individuals across Kilkenny on fundraising initiatives who all volunteer their time generously. Examples of groups who volunteer their time to fundraise for Cois Nore include the Kells Kings Cycle group who hold a well-attended annual cycle (pre Covid) to fundraise for Cois Nore, the Nore Dragon Paddlers and Kilkenny City Harriers who are providing valuable support and guidance as Cois Nore holds their first 5K event on 18th March. The animation studio Cartoon Saloon have also partnered with Cois Nore in a voluntary capacity producing a unique range of designs for Cois Nore’s Christmas Cards and 5K T-shirts.
Before Covid, Cois Nore relied entirely on fundraising activity for its income so we could not operate without the volunteer effort of many groups and individuals across the county who fundraise for us. Since Covid we have been fortunate to have the support of government grants as well as volunteer led remote fundraising initiatives.
Covid 19 has been very challenging for Cois Nore. As our income was derived significantly from fundraising (supplemented by small once off grants) the cancellation of fundraising events was devastating. But it was also an opportunity to regroup and review our operation. We availed of the funding grants offered by government and philanthropic organisations, and this has been invaluable in helping Cois Nore to ‘get back on its feet’.
In 2022, as the country opens up again Cois Nore will look forward to renewing its fundraising activities, with several big events planned for the year including the weeks 5K for Cois Nore, the Kells’ Kings cycle in August and a Camino walk in October.
Other long missed services have also made a return, the most recent of which is their drop-in service. To allow for more space the Cois Nore drop-in service will take place in St. Canice’s Neighbourhood Hall, Butt’s Green, Kilkenny. Starting on Monday 21st, this service will be available every Monday from 2pm to 4pm.
