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Life

16th Aug 2014

Our Woman Of The Week Is Kim Ward, Winner Of A €100 Littlewoods Ireland Voucher

Our woman of the week is Kim Swinbourne.

Cathy Donohue

Who is your woman of the week?

It could be your Mam who’s been on the receiving end of many a stressed-out phonecall over the years or the best friend guaranteed to make you giggle and see the bright side of every situation.

We have teamed up with Littlewoods Ireland to show these special ladies some love and each week we have a €100 voucher from Littlewoods Ireland to give away to our woman of the week.

This week’s winner is Kim Ward, nominated by her aunt Emma and below, Emma tells us in her own words why Kim deserves to win.

“On Wednesday the 30th of July my niece turned 18. Not taking after everyone else in the country and engaging in some debauchery on the night, she decided to use her milestone birthday as a way of fundraising for Temple Street Children’s Hospital. (She also completed the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon in June alongside her mother for the same cause.)

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Kim completed the Women’s Mini Marathon for Temple Street Hospital

“Kim spent weeks organising the event, securing sponsorship for the venue (from The Valley Lodge Carrickmacross), food, and 20 raffle prizes for a draw on the night from local and national businesses. The support and encouragement she received was amazing.

“One such example of this is a local lady, Orla Mooney who owns Sparkle Beauty Salon in our local town, Carrickmacross. When Kim approached her looking for sponsorship, she donated two raffle prizes and offered to do Kim’s tan, nails and make-up for the night free of charge.

“Orla also sold raffle tickets on her behalf and then secured another €200 donation from another local business, Active8 Energies.

“Prior to the event, raffle tickets were sold to family and friends to raise as much as possible for a place close to the hearts of Kim’s family.  Her cousin and Godchild is an out patient of Temple Street Children’s Hospital and another family friend frequently visits the hospital.

“The night itself was held on Saturday 2nd August and it was a great success. Looking around the room, I wondered how many other 18 year olds would sacrifice getting presents for their birthday (presents were to be given in the form of a donation or a toy). I certainly wasn’t so selfless at that age!

“The following week the final count came in at €2800. There was also toys donated which went to 45 children receiving treatment at the hospital. Kim got to travel to Dublin to present the cheque and hand out the toys to some smiling faces.

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Kim presenting a cheque to Temple Street Hospital

“I sit here and write this email on the morning she receives her Leaving Certificate results and prepares to head off to Cavan in September to start her pre nursing course in the hope she will one day return to Temple Street as a fully qualified nurse.

“I for one can say, they would be lucky to have her. I know I can speak for our whole family when I say how proud I am of Kim and the young lady she has grown up to be.

“I would love her to be Her.ie‘s woman of the week, for one thing it would be a nice surprise for her”.

We hope Kim enjoys her Littlewoods Ireland voucher. If you have someone in mind for our Woman of the Week then please email us at [email protected] and include an image of your nominated woman.

Get in touch and tell us about your best friend since childhood, your grandmother, mother or aunt who is always there in a crisis and the sister who makes you laugh… we want to know who makes your week brighter.