Nominations open for Mayo's Inspirational Woman Award

MAYO Rape Crisis Centre has announced that nominations are now open for Mayo’s Inspirational Woman Award for 2017.

The award will be presented at their Nollaig na mBan lunch, which will be held in Westport Country Lodge on Saturday, January 6. This year’s award will be presented by guest speaker Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain.

This is also a fundraising event to support the work of Mayo Rape Crisis Centre who provide information, support, advocacy and counselling for anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives.

To inspire is to 'give rise to a feeling, an ability, an urge to do something and to inhale...to fill up'.

There are many, many inspiring women in all our lives. MRCC has, for many years, witnessed hundreds of inspiring women, who come to the centre to face the hurts and pain that they have experienced and caused them distress in many different ways. Hurts from long ago and hurts that are more recent.

Many of the women who use the centre go back into their communities, families, workplaces, schools and localities and offer vigilance and support to others in so many creative and unseen ways.

This award was inspired by the clients of the centre down through the years. So, MRCC are now asking the people of Mayo to think about the women in our lives, the women who fill us up, who make us feel good, and who give us energy or hope. This is an opportunity to acknowledge and notice those women.

The process, if you would like to nominate someone, is done initially by asking the nominee you are considering for permission to nominate her. You then write, in 200 words or less, why you want to nominate this woman, how she has inspired you, etc., and send this by post to: Mayo Inspirational Woman Award 2017, MRCC, Newtown, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, or by email to ruthmayorcc@gmail.com.

The initial nominations with the words of the nominator will be posted on the MRCC Fundraising Page. Once the initial nomination has been received the centre will be in touch with you to validate the nomination.

The closing date for nominations is December 20. A shortlist will be drawn up by the judges, who are completely independent of MRCC and whose decision is final.

Each nominee will be invited to attend the luncheon event. Mayo’s Inspirational Woman Award is sponsored by Sports Clinic West.

The rules for the nominations are available on www.mrcc.ie and on request from ruthmayorcc@gmail.com.

This is the first time the centre has held their fundraising event in Westport so they are really hoping that the women of the area will support them by buying a ticket and joining them for what is a very special way of marking Nollaig na mBan while also the women in their lives.

Tickets for the event are available at Westport Country Lodge Hotel, through the Mayo RCC Office, or from the committee on (087) 1770478.