Hand in Hand CLG, Galway

The judges for the National Lottery Good Causes Awards chose Hand in Hand as both the Health & Wellbeing category and overall Good Cause of the Year winner for its remarkable support to families of young people with cancer. This Galway-based charity enables parents to focus on their child’s health and wellbeing by taking care of practical day-to-day tasks for them, with the simple yet powerful mission of ‘We look after the ordinary while the parents look after the extraordinary’.

The profound impact Hand in Hand’s work has on families nationwide, offering essential relief and improving their quality of life during incredibly challenging times, is deeply moving. The organisation supports families across the country with a childhood cancer diagnosis by providing practical and emotional supports such as household cleaning, laundry, family meal delivery, play therapy and counselling. This alleviates some of the burdens and reduces stress, allowing parents– who are dealing with overwhelming emotional and logistical challenges – to focus on their child’s care as well as on other family members.

Part funding from the National Lottery has enabled Hand in Hand to cover household cleaning and family meal delivery expenses for the families in Ireland it supports. This is particularly important because children undergoing cancer treatment often have weakened immune systems, making it essential to maintain a clean and hygienic environment to prevent infections and complications from arising.

While regular cleaning helps create a safer living space for the child, family meal deliveries play a crucial role in easing the burden by providing convenient access to nutritious meals, saving time and energy and fostering a sense of support and connection during a traumatic time. The National Lottery Good Causes Awards is honoured to celebrate the important and very much extraordinary service provided by Hand in Hand.