NUACHT

In This Issue

Skin Cream Alert

The 6 Nations

St Patrick’s Day Parade

The Big Half

Spring 2018

SIPP - we’re here to help

St Patrick’s Day Celebrations Our St Patrick’s Day Celebrations will be held on Wednesday 14th March in the Executive Suite at

Millwall FC, Zampa Road (off Ilderton Road) SE16 3LN. Veronica and her team always go the extra

mile to make it a special occasion for our members. Members tickets are £13, guest tickets £23.

Tickets are available from Hannah who will be at the Brixton club on Tuesday 27th Feb & 6th March;

at the New Cross club on Wednesday 28th Feb & 7th March and at the Bermondsey club on Thursday

& Friday 1st & 2nd and 8th & 9th March. We have always and will continue to, subsidise these func-

tions for our members but unfortunately, we cannot afford to subsidise guests as well, hence the small

increase in ticket prices.

Doors open at 12.30 for lunch at 1pm, followed by musician Finbarr Black who will have you all up

dancing until 4.30pm. There is a licensed bar, parking is free and we will treat you to your first sprig of

Irish shamrock of the year - many thanks to Peggy Duffy (Bridie Madigan’s sister) who sends it every

year from her home in Donegal.

Don’t miss this lovely celebration, there is ample room to move about and talk to people. An afternoon

filled with fun and laughter and a glass or 2 of wine with a good meal, will lift your spirits and do more

for your health than any pills! You’re very welcome to bring friends and relations as your guests.

Transport: The P12 bus stops in Ilderton Road. If you’re using Dial-a-ride of Taxicard, please arrange

to be collected no later than 5pm. If you are sharing a taxi or minicab with others, please remember to

pre book the home journey

as cabs and black taxi’s are

not easy to get in the rush

hour.

We hope to see you there

Co. Armagh Co. Tyrone

Skin Cream Warning

Paraffin-based skin creams may be linked to hundreds of deaths, a senior firefighter has warned. Chris Bell, a watch commander with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the creams - used to treat a variety of skin conditions, including eczema and psoriasis - are safe to use.

But he warned they can become flammable when they soak into fabrics, clothing, bandages and dressings, then come into contact with a cigarette, naked flame or other heat source.

"Hundreds of thousands of people use them, we're not sure how many fire deaths might have occurred but it could be into the hundreds," he told the BBC. His comments come after an investigation by BBC 5 live Investigates and Inside Out Yorkshire and Lincolnshire found only sev-en of 38 products containing paraffin that are licensed in the UK

carry warnings on their packaging.

NHS Direct offer the following advice:

Do not smoke, use naked flames (or be near people who are smoking

or using naked flames) or go near to anything else which may cause a

fire whilst these products are in contact with your

clothes, dressing or bandages.

Ensure that your clothes and bedding are changed

regularly (preferably daily) as the paraffin soaks into

the fabrics and can potentially be a fire hazard. You

should also be careful to make sure that the paraffin

does not soak into chairs, seating or other furniture.

St Patrick’s Day Parade

is on Sunday 18th March,

We will have a stall (12 to

4pm) in front of the National

Gallery in Trafalgar Sq.

If you’re going to the Parade,

please come along to the

stall & say hello.

2018 is the Centenary

of the 1918 Representation

of the People Act giving

some women over the age of

30 (and all men over the age

of 21) the right to vote - a

step on the path to full legal

equality. The 1918 general

election, held in December

that year, was the first time

that women were able to

vote, and the first woman

MP, Sinn Féin's Constance

Markievicz, was elected.

This major milestone didn't

just happen: it was the

culmination of decades of

determined, fearless

campaigning by women and

men across Britain, who

faced ridicule, abuse,

poverty, surveillance and

arrest in their fight for the

vote. Find out more at the

Museum of London,

150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN

Free entrance.

Co. Donegal

The Big Half One of our volunteers Keith O’Callaghan is running a half

marathon on Sunday 4th March.

Keith said ‘I am running the London Big Half Marathon for Southwark Irish Pensioners Project because they are the safety net for many vulnerable Irish men and women living in South London. I have volunteered with SIPP for the past decade, visiting some fine Irishmen who never went home again and who are alone at the end and needing support. In that time, I have personally witnessed how SIPP have stretched a small budget over a huge number of abandoned and vulnerable older Irish people in South London. Please give generously. I have seen how the money is spent and the good it does. There is also the added kick of seeing me waddle through the streets of East and South East London in vacuum packed running shorts, lock up your daughters!’

1. You can sponsor Keith online on his Just Giving page, go to

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/keithocallaghan or

2. Ask a member of staff at one of the satellite clubs in Brixton, New

Cross or Bermondsey

for a sponsor sheet or

3. Give your sponsorship

to Hannah in the

Bermondsey club.

.

Go Keith!

2018 Tea Dances at English Martyrs New Hall,

(on the corner of Rodney Road & Stead Street,. SE17)

Thursday 19th April Thursday 24th May Thursday 21st June

Doors open at 1pm

Tuesday Bermondsey Club

Arts & Crafts from 12 to 3pm

Brixton Club Light Lunch & Bingo from 11am to 3pm

Wednesday New Cross Club

Stress Massage from 11am to 12.30 Light Lunch & Bingo from 12.30 to 3pm

Thursday Bermondsey Club

Yoga Class from 11am to 12 ‘The Chat’ and Card Games

from 1.30pm to 3pm

Friday Bermondsey Club

25 card game from 2pm to 5pm

Mothers Day

is on Sunday 11th March

Hammersmith

Irish Cultural Centre are having a tea dance on

Saturday 17th March

from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Co. Cork

Sending our

warmest

wishes to all

those who are

sick at home

& in hospital.

Get Well Soon

Fond memories of our Departed Friends

Michael Byrne, Fred Ellard, Peter Rynn, Nora McKay, Bridget Carr,

Betty Gilligan, Betty Russell and Kathleen McDermott

May they rest in Peace

The Six Nations The The Six Nations, one of the greatest times of the year to be an Irish person in England. When you don’t have to hide your green light under a bushell, when sport allows you to shout from the roof-tops about how proud you are to be Irish. Why? Because during those blessed weeks during a 6 Nations, The Scots, Welsh, French, Italians and of course the English, are doing the exact same thing. The Championship is more than sport, it’s a special occasion every weekend when the most ardent and most casual rugby fans gather around TV's to cheer on their nation. The banter in pubs is rife, sofas are often split with this annual good natured rivalry. Of course the Ireland team like to play all of this un-der the radar . "Sure isn't it great to be involved and sure who knows what might happen". But the desire and passion to win is deep rooted and in recent years its been hard to hide under a humble blanket - because Ireland are really very good, really very, very good. In fact we are currently favourites to win the 6 Nations. Some even talk of a Grand Slam, a sporting holy grail only won if you beat all your 6 Nations rivals. My feeling is that won’t happen this year as there is so much quality amongst the home nations, I think every team will lose at least one game. The exciting thing about this Ireland team is how it has transitioned from the golden era of Brian O’Driscoll (pictured above with Craig Doyle) and Paul O’Connell, to the current crop of stars such as Ian Henderson and Robbie Henshaw. Usually when so many big names retire a team suffers a major slump as they bring the next group of young fellas through, but due to the production line of talent coming through the Irish provincial teams, it has been fairly seamless. There is competition for every jersey on the pitch, which means all the players are operating at their best all the time, for fear of losing their place. It also means Ireland are very well placed to deal with injuries, and they will come! We beat The All Blacks with a mixture of youth and experience, this squad is not intimidated by any opposition. In saying that, Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton is almost irreplaceable. His drop goal to beat France as the clock was in the red was exceptional, I am sure you all screamed the roof down as it crept over the bar. That was a 47 metre drop kick, in the wet, after 43 gruelling phases of play - yes, it was a 'Roy of the Rovers' moment for our Johnny, but a brilliant team effort and yet another indication of how well drilled the Irish coach Joe Schmidt has this team. For all those reasons, I think Ireland will win this 6 Nations, so get your green scarf and jersey on and shout with pride as its a tournament like no other. .

Craig Doyle Craig is from Dublin and presents rugby for BT Sport

Contact Us Southwark Irish

Pensioners Project

6 Market Place

SE16 3UQ

Phone: 020 7237 5841

info@irishinlondon.org

www.irishinlondon.org