Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes whose volunteers transport blood samples, covid samples, breast milk for premature babies, medical supplies and blood for terminally ill children to hospitals in Louth, Monaghan, Cavan and Meath has been named as the 2022 National Lottery Good Cause of the Year.
The National Lottery Good Causes Awards honour the inspiring work and achievements of thousands of projects, clubs and individuals from all over Ireland who, with the help of National Lottery Good Causes funding, have had an extraordinary impact on their local communities.
Commenting on this year’s overall winner, Chair of the Judging Panel, Sonya Lennon, explained why Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes took home the top gong;
“One man’s vision, determination and experience has created a voluntary organisation which saves and changes lives, and Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes have now established a template that can generate -island-wide impact across all communities,” she said.
The National Lottery funding which is distributed through the HSE has enabled Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes to change one of their vehicles which had high mileage on it to a newer model. The impact on the community was immense as it enabled them to continue to save lives and answer their calls quicker.
Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes were presented with their community award by Nuala Carey and Minister Michael McGrath had the honour of presenting the group with the overall Good Cause of the year award.
The Awards have seven categories: Sport, Health and Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture, Community, Youth and Irish Language. A brand-new award category, ‘Hero of the Year’, was created this year to recognise outstanding work done by an individual within an organisation. This year’s winner was Josie Reynolds, volunteer with the Melting Pot Community Society in Co. Roscommon.
The seven category winners each received €10,000; the Hero of the Year received €5,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year, Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes received an additional €25,000.
Andrew Algeo, Chief Executive of the National Lottery said: “I would like to congratulate all of the volunteers at Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes as well as our other category winners who’ve all had a massive impact on the ground within each of their communities. It is such an inspiration to see how tirelessly these people work and how much time they dedicate daily for the benefit of others. It’s been an honour to share the stage with such a variety of groups who benefit from Good Causes funding.”
