AS some of you may remember my first columns in this paper were in advance of some fundraising events for the Katie Nugent Fund, a charity set up in 2011 in memory of our daughter Katie who died the year before from leukaemia, aged just six.

Not only did my wife Alice spearhead the fundraising but she was also determined that the money would be used to focus on the emotional and psychological support side of childhood cancer care.

That vision has evolved into a partnership between Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin and Trinity College Dublin, financed by the Katie Nugent Fund. They have joined forces to identify the social, emotional and practical needs of parents during all stages of their child’s cancer treatment. The project team includes eight parents (from different stages including treatment, bereavement and remission), seven staff from Crumlin (nurses, social worker, consultant, psychologist, dietician and complementary therapist) and three researchers from Trinity College.

Introducing new projects, even with funding, is not straightforward but happily the project is now up and running. It is the first of its kind in Ireland and will be used to develop existing services in order to influence practice across Ireland both in a community and a clinical setting. Alice and I hope that this project can deliver a result very much in line with the original aspirations of the Katie Nugent Fund. Alice has worked hard to make this happen so the project will hopefully meet with approval from all those who have so kindly supported the fundraising campaign to date.

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IN addition to fallen trees courtesy of Doris, everywhere at home is completely sodden. I suppose that is a good thing for those participating in the Muck It Mud Run on Sunday 19th March, which I recommend for anybody inclined to such madness. In the hall at Ballinlough we have a framed (unattributed) poem that seems pretty relevant at the moment:

It rained and rained and rained

The average fall was well maintained

And when the fields were simple bogs

It started raining cats and dogs

After a drought of half an hour

We had a most refreshing shower

And the, most curious thing of all

A gentle rain began to fall

Next day but one was fairly dry

Save for one deluge from the sky

Which wetted the party to the skin

And then at last the Rain set in