'She is an exceptional person, a true force for good': Evora Hospice congratulates Lurgan’s Deirdre Breen on Pride of Britain nomination
A Lurgan woman described as “a true force for good” has been nominated for the Pride of Britain awards in recognition of her efforts to help raise more than £1million for Evora Hospice (formerly Southern Area Hospice).
Deirdre Breen founded the Lurgan-based support group The Friends of Evora Hospice and has given huge amounts of her time to its work.
Last December, the group reached an extraordinary milestone surpassing £1million in fundraising to support Evora Hospice to continue delivering care to patients and families when they need it most.
The hospice provides expert palliative care across Armagh, Down and Tyrone, supporting Southern Health and Social care Trust patients for more than 35 years with compassion, dignity, and specialist support.
Deirdre’s inspirational and tireless efforts overt the years have resulted in her being nominated for the Pride of Britain awards which recognise heroes from across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales who have made a positive impact in their community.
Damien Hillen, director of development Evora Hospice Care, said Deirdre represents everything that is good about fundraising.
"Her dedication, her energy and her quiet determination have raised an incredible one million pounds for our hospice, but her impact goes far beyond that. She has inspired a generation of supporters, brought people together year after year, and made a real difference to the lives of families across our community.
"I have seen first-hand the respect and admiration people have for her. She is an exceptional person, a true force for good."
Liz Cuddy, CEO of Evora Hospice, added: “Raising such an incredible amount was not the result of one big event. It came from thousands of small actions carried out year after year by someone who truly believes in the difference hospice care makes.
"Deirdre and the Friends of Evora Hospice have organised and supported coffee mornings, concerts, park runs, and countless other events. She has spent evenings packing hampers, weekends standing in the cold at fundraising events, and most of her free time thinking about how to raise the next amount.
“The money she has raised has helped care for thousands of people with life-limiting illness. It has supported their families, provided comfort at the end of life, and offered emotional support after loss.
"Evora Hospice relies heavily on fundraising to keep its services going and Deirdre’s work has made a real and lasting impact. Her contribution is woven into the lives of so many patients and families. Most of them will never meet her, but they have felt the benefit of what she continues to do, year after year,” Liz added.
Evora Hospice became new name for Southern Area Hospice on June 18 as the hospice celebrated its 35th year of service.
At a special event in the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown, Evora Hospice celebrated the landmark year, unveiled its new identity, and set out its ambition to build a new world-class hospice facility within the Newry area.
Evora derives from the Celtic word for yew, reflecting the hospice’s roots in Newry, a word that also means yew. Evora is also the district of Portugal where St John of God was born providing a strong link to the hospice’s legacy as an organisation founded by the Sisters from the Order of St John of God.