Longford Woman Named ‘Hero of the Year’ at National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2024

A Longford woman has been named as ‘Hero of the Year’, at the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2024.

Evelyn Neary, the founder of Cian’s Kennels, was honoured at the awards for bringing comfort and joy to families during some of their most challenging times.

Cian’s Kennels is a remarkable initiative that enables young people who are in hospital for long periods, to have access to, and maintain their relationship with their family cat or dog. The organisation transports the pets to and from the hospital, covering full veterinary checks and all kennelling costs.

In 2023, thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding, Cian’s Kennels upgraded its visiting kennels facility at CHI Crumlin hospital. This upgrade allows the organisation to offer services to more families from every county in Ireland.

Evelyn Nearly was commended by the judges for creating such an inspiring organisation, which has become an invaluable service to so many families.

The event also saw Hand in Hand Cancer Charity in Galway crowned as the overall Good Cause of the Year 2024 and the winner in the Health and Wellbeing category. This nationwide charity works tirelessly with families affected by cancer, offering free, on-the-ground support to help ease the burden of long-distance travel for treatment and the emotional toll of a diagnosis. Their services aim to reduce the stress associated with cancer, making a meaningful impact on families facing one of life’s toughest challenges.

This year’s Good Causes Awards ceremony took place in Killashee House Hotel in Co. Kildare. Marty Whelan hosted the event and was joined by a star-studded line-up of guest presenters who handed out category awards, including TV personality Daithí Ó Sé, author and radio presenter Anna Geary, the inspiring Deborah Somorin, renowned architect and TV presenter Hugh Wallace and dancing sensation Arthur Gourounlian.

The Awards are made up of seven categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture, Community, Youth and Irish Language.

A special award category, ‘Hero of the Year’, recognises the outstanding work done by an individual within an organisation.

On the night, a total of €100,000 was awarded. The seven category winners each received €10,000; the Hero of the Year received €5,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year, Hand in Hand received an additional €25,000.

Cian Murphy, Chief Executive of the National Lottery, said: “On behalf of the National Lottery, I want to extend our warmest congratulations to Hand in Hand, as well as to all our outstanding category winners. The work you do to make a tangible, positive difference in people's lives is nothing short of inspiring. It’s been a true privilege to stand alongside such a diverse range of organisations, each benefiting from Good Causes funding, and each playing a vital role in creating a better, more compassionate society."

This year’s National Lottery Good Causes Award winners are:

National Lottery Good Cause of the Year– Hand in Hand CLG, Galway

Arts and Culture - Helium Arts, Westmeath

Community - South Meath Social Economy, Meath

Health and Wellbeing - Hand in Hand CLG, Galway

Heritage - Maharees Conservation Association, Kerry

Irish Language: Cill Dara le Gaeilge, Kildare

Sport: Mullingar Handball Club, Westmeath

Youth: Belong To LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland, Dublin

Hero of the Year: Evelyn Neary, Cian’s Kennels, Longford

Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total, more than €6.5 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 37 years ago. In 2023 alone, €227.9 Million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.

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