February Newsletter 2024 Welcome to our February newsletter.We would like to wish you a lovely St. Brigid’s Day Weekend! St. Brigid's Day is celebrated on the 1st February every year and we often associate this with the St. Brigid’s crosses which are traditional symbols of Ireland's patron saint, St. Brigid. These crosses are woven from straw or rushes and crafted in a simple, four-armed design and are believed to bring protection and blessings to homes and families. February Freeze Charity Swim A massive thank you to Ken McAndrew, an enthusiastic sea swimmer, for his initiative in organising a fundraiser to support the Little Flower. Ken's fundraiser involves swimming in the Irish sea in Forty Foot on 29 separate times throughout February. To assist Ken's fundraiser, we're organising a dedicated fundraising event on Sunday, February 25th, from 9:30 am to 10:30 am at Forty Foot in Sandycove. We extend an open invitation to all - whether you're an experienced sea swimmer, a first-time sea swimmer, or simply wish to show your support. You can also make a donation on Ken’s fundraising page by clicking this link. Everyone is welcome to join us for this charity swim event! We hope to see you there. Click Here To Find Out More Looking Back at 2023 Last year was an eventful year for the Little Flower and we would like to thank all the individuals and organisations for their incredible support in 2023. You are the reason we can continue providing this essential service to the people in our community who need it the most. Here’s a short clip with some of the highlights from 2023: Remembering Val Fennell We're always delighted to welcome the Bikers of Eire at Christmas as they deliver selection boxes for us to distribute over the holidays. It has become a cherished tradition for Val Fennell and his little helper, Edel, to visit us with this special delivery every Christmas. Sadly, Val passed away in September 2023, and Edel came alone this year. Although we were happy to see Edel, we were heartbroken about Val. What a wonderful man. Rest in peace, Val Fennell National Food Bank Day - Update As many of you know, in September 2023, we launched the Little Flower Penny Dinners National Food Bank Day. The overwhelming response from organisations exceeded our expectations. We have since then used much of the donated food to prepare meals for our in-house service and added to meal packs for our meals-on-wheels service. The remaining food was delivered to local Food Banks in December, providing over 300 food parcels for families in need, just in time for Christmas. Thank you to everyone who participated in 2023, and we look forward to making 2024 even more successful.