Where your skydive donation is going: Carelocal say thanks

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated money, awareness and good wishes to the Skydive for Carelocal.ie

I visited the office yesterday to say hello and find out more about them. Sheila Desmond, the Volunteer Coordinator is in a unique position with the charity, as she meets all the older people they help and also all the volunteers that work with them.

Brazenly, I stuck the camera in front of poor Sheila and asked her to tell you where the money you have donated is going and what the difference your help will make to the charity and to the life of an older person. It's a rough and ready take but was loads of fun to do:

Barbecue, Odessa Club, Dublin 2, Monday 11 May

What are you doing after work on Monday? Fancy coming to an evening barbecue in the Odessa Club, Dublin 2?



Jane Russell from Jane Russell’s Original Irish Handmade Sausages is kicking off the summer in style with a bit of food, chat, drink and of course some sausage samples from 7.30pm in the roof garden of the Odessa Club.

She'd like to invite bloggers, online people and anyone who'd like to come along and have a bite to eat. She's one of many companies engaging in social media at the moment to get the company name out there and would love to get the chance to talk to you - and for you to try her food!

The company, going since 1994, uses only prime cuts for their sausages. According to the website:

Being the 5th generation of a prize-winning pork & bacon curing family Jane trawled through her grand-father’s diary of recipes to create her Original Irish sausage.

Forays to French markets allowed Jane to develop her Toulouse sausages while memories of sausages eaten in London inspired the magnificent Beef and Guinness sausages.

It is this ability to create new and traditional flavours that sets Jane Russell’s sausages apart and assures her that her products will always be in demand.

Why am I involved? Well, a friend of a friend asked me to invite people so here I am, inviting you. Apparently Jane's "straight sausages" (the company name) are sausages you can trust. Something to do on a Monday night?

That's the Odessa Club, 7.30 pm, Monday 11 May. See you there?

Dubliners, have you been hugged by Siobhan yet?

That there is the lovely Siobhan from the Dublin 98 morning crew.

She's in Marks and Spencers on Grafton Street, Dublin today as part of the Dublin Hugathon, a world record attempt to beat the current record for most hugs in 11 hours - she has to hug over 4,315 people to do so.

UPDATE: 13:45 - Siobhan has hugged over 2,650 people already!

The early morning queues helped her do so.



It's all in aid of the 98 Care4Kids Radiothon, which is running on March 6th and 7th. Over the two days 98’s presenters and staff focus solely on 98’s Care4Kids Radiothon to raise money for the three Children’s hospitals - National Children’s Hospital Tallaght, Temple Street University Hospital and Crumlin Children’s Hospital.

Over the past two years we broadcasted live from all three children’s hospitals, airing many interviews with the sick children, their parents and hospital staff. 98’s listeners got a real feel of what it's like to be a sick kid or parent and what they deal with everyday, as well as heart wrenching stories from hospital staff that look after and treat the kids daily.

Apart from the on-air success, over the past two years 98’s Care4Kids Radiothon has raised over €1 million. It was done through phone & text pledges, auctions and fun in the work place with jersey and pyjama days, where staff got involved by wearing their favourite sports shirt and pyjamas at work and donating money.

You know me, happy to give a hand (or a hug) for charity - in fact I think I got three :)





She gives a great hug. She's down there until 7pm tonight and you can follow her on the 98 website and over on http://twitter.com/hugathondublin. If you're in the area, give some money, get a hug!