Trim pharmacy gives back to local clubs and organisations with fully stocked medical kits

McGreals Pharmacies has officially launched its new €10,000 Community First Aid Sponsorship Programme, an initiative that will see local clubs, societies and volunteer groups across Leinster receive premium, fully stocked first aid bags to help keep their communities safe.

The programme got underway yesterday at McGreals Pharmacy in Trim, where Julie Ann Marley, Shareholding and Managing Pharmacist at McGreals Trim Pharmacy, presented more than €900 worth of first aid kits to clubs and community organisations in Trim and the surrounding areas.

Speaking about the initiative, Julie Ann said: "I'm absolutely thrilled with the huge response we have had to the competition so far. It's great to be able to give back to the community of Trim and the surrounding areas of Athboy, Boardsmill, Dunsany, Kilmessan, Kiltale and Summerhill. It's so important that properly equipped first aid bags are accessible when needed and I'm delighted to be able to make these donations.

"It's nice to be able to give something back that's personal to pharmacy. From personal experience, I've often been to underage matches and somebody gets hurt and people are scrambling for the first aid kit and then there isn't one. It's very important to have a properly stocked first aid kit at every organisation, not just for sport. There was huge demand for them."

While the kits will be an invaluable resource for local sports clubs dealing with injuries on a regular basis, the initiative is also supporting a wide range of community groups that care for people every day.

Among the first recipients were Trim Women's Shed and the Joshua Community in Navan, both of which highlighted the practical difference the donated equipment will make.

Ann Collinge, Trustee and PR Manager of Trim Women's Shed and volunteer with the Joshua Community, said: "This kit that we've received will be so valuable. Often times people come into the centre (Joshua Community) and they've fallen or hurt themselves. To have this kit that is donated, it will make such a difference to be able to bandage them up and to help them."

Jade Conroy Dawe, Manager of the Homeless Drop-in and Full-Time Volunteer at the Joshua Community in Navan, added: "The medical kit will be such a help, because we do have people coming in with cuts and injuries who don't want to go and see a doctor. We rely on donations completely, so this is really great."

For Trim Women's Shed, the donation also complements the group's commitment to learning new skills.

Committee Member Martha McManus said: "You never know when you'll need a kit like this. It's great to have one that belongs to us. We did a first aid course last year, and now to have this donated is great. We just need a permanent residence to put it in now, which we are actively looking for."

The Community First Aid Sponsorship Programme will continue across the McGreals Pharmacies network, with a number of first aid bags being donated each month. The aim is to provide more than €10,000 worth of first aid equipment to community organisations by 2027.