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We are joined now by the Irish Red Cross Clare Honorary Treasure and the Irish Red Cross
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National Volunteer of the Year in Times Gumpast, James Lafferty and his colleague Tracey Fitzgerald
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who is the area secretary and quiz organizer, folks, a very good morning to you both.
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Good morning, Alan. How are you?
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I'm very well. James, bring us up to date with how things are going from the Irish Red Cross
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Clare branch perspective. Do you want to start with the tour of Clare Fundraiser?
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Are you making yourself your way around every new concreting at the Banner County?
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This year we have a hundred last year with 174 locations. We have now gone to 177 across
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the County of Clare and last year 20% of everything we raise goes to repairs and maintenance.
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80% goes to the development of our upstairs in the new building in about four years time.
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Okay, brilliant stuff. I know you mentioned it before. You're trying to get a new ambulance
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and fundraising at the church gates. How generous are people being here? Are you out of track?
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People have been very generous. We have over 10,700 raised over 10 weeks and we hope to pull that
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up to 20,000 and that's the target for the church gates by the end of June and after that then we
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hope to get a few more out in the national lottery. We need 35,000 and we hope to get Clare
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funding through the Irish Red Cross. We know all about that next week. So that will be our new
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ambulance in place. Then we have to replace the other three vehicles, which will be the 212,
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the 232 and the 162. And the reason you need to replace them and also need
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an additional new vehicle is because you have so many appointments to bring people to
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where less than a third of the way through or less than a quarter of the way through this year
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and how many medical appointments have been completed so far. We have the 160 transports done
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as of this weekend, which is unreal. That is four a day. Four a day. Okay, so help out with this new
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ambulance if you can. The parachute jump you did it last year, James. It's planned to go ahead
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because of course this is weather dependent. It happened last year. Similarly, it had to be
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posted on a few times. It was booked for the 30th of August this year. And we have four,
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we have six lovely ladies involved this year. They're from all over Clare. We have Geraldine
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Bern from Kilke, Jessica, Santos, Derossa and Chloe, Constantine and Stacy, look now. I did
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sent you for the Christmas in Carcala. So recruited these three lovely ladies to do the parachute
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jump. So one favor for another. And then I have the lovely Joan of Sullivan, who's our new community
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officer with myself and she's doing a great job. And you know the one that I had a niggle
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today. She couldn't do it last year, but she's off again this year. So hopefully that'll be finished
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by the tortu de boggust. And I've booked everything in place and ready to go. Now the table quiz,
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we have a table quiz in the low clean. I'm going to hand you over to Tracy because there's
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her baby. Yeah. And Tracy, you can fill us in and that that's happening on Friday, the eighth of
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May, an eight of obviously support services with the aforementioned medical appointments. What's
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going to be happening on the evening? There's a table quiz on in the low clean and drunk
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when on Friday, the eight and eight p.m. There's also going to be a raffle on the night.
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And all support would be welcome. And I would also like to say while I'm here,
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a special thanks to Helen Niggle for doing up the lovely posters. Okay. And anyone that has any
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inquiries can contact me on 8 7 0 5 5 9 4 8 2. And I presume it being a quiz night at the
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usual raffles. Yes, there is raffle. Yes, there is. Yes. Okay. I'll finish off with two items.
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The counter top boxes. We were 185 across county Claire and I need to get people to tap on those
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boxes. They're all set to tap because we need to keep the funds going with the price of diesel
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my diesel bill last month for the red cross was 2500 is possibly three and a half thousand this year
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and it won't be easy to sustain it. So I need people to tap on the boxes and donate,
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try donate and keep the show on the road. And one big event the weekend and I would like you
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Alan. Maybe you might get the chat to talk to Bertie down the getty down the road.
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The address red cross long services award 50 years. Imagine I'll be 103 when I reach 50
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years service with the red cross. And the mansion house in Dublin at 12.30 on Sunday on
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Saturday the 24th. Guerti is from the East Claire branch and she's a wonderful lady. She was
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in the Dublin Red Cross. She's been in the East Claire East Claire Red Cross. And I want
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Michael Walsh and myself and the crew gone up to Dublin the weekend. Brilliant. And I won't
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risk your hour by asking how far away or close to 103 you are. But you're looking well. You're
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looking well. Sixty eight. Sixty eight. Last tourist. Last tourist. Well, belated happy birthday to you.
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James, thank you very much to James Laferty and also to you as well. I really appreciate you
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being in this morning. James Laferty there with us and also Tracy Fitzgerald the Claire
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Irish Red Cross branch area secretary and quiz organizer with us on Wednesday's morning focus.