New gym dedicated to the memory of a man who was an inspiration to many
The Red Door Project is so much more than a place where support and advice is available to people with drink or drugs issues, it is a shining beacon of what can be done by a community organisation with little more than determination and love.
Behind the red doors of what used to be the old St. Marys Convent School on the Dublin Road there is a community of like-minded people who are helping each other to find new paths in life and to thrive.
The building itself is a bit higgledy piggledy with stairs and corridors here, there and everywhere and doors where there shouldn’t be doors but the heart of this community is definitely in the right place. And they have a functioning kettle that is seldom far from boiling.
Friday was a special day in this close-knit community as they gathered to remember and pay respects to a beloved colleague and friend, Neil McKeown, who sadly died of a heart attack whilst out running on January 15th. He was just 45 years old.
Neil was a fitness fanatic and a gym instructor and, whilst he was in recovery himself he was a rock of strength and support to all those around him.
Because he died during lockdown there could be no formal recognition of Neil’s huge contribution to the Red Door Project and the invaluable, life enhancing work being carried out there.
Pictured at yesterday’s ceremony were Neil McKeown’s partner Cathy Lynch (left), mother Bernie, and son Jamie with Joanne Dwyer of the Red Door Project.
Neil was so grateful for the help he had received from Red Door and he strove in every way he could to give something back.
Red Door Manager Louise Mahony said she and her team were delighted to honour their friend Neil who was well on the road to recovery when he died so suddenly and unexpectedly.
The moving ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque in Neil’s honour and the opening of a fully equipped gym for the use of Red Door clients which was sponsored by the Drogheda Rotary Club.
