Ireland’s leading builders’ merchants will supply materials and provide expertise to upgrade the charity’s community centres nationwide
Chadwicks Group, Ireland’s leading builders’ merchants, is delighted to announce the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) as its new charity partner for 2021.
The IWA is a community of people with physical disabilities across Ireland founded on the belief that everyone should be able to live a life of choice and equality. They offer services for those with physical disabilities to live independently, all the while campaigning for equal opportunities for their community.
As part of this new partnership, Chadwicks Group will supply a range of building materials to IWA community centres across the country to help improve accessibility for its users. The IWA operates 57 community centres nationwide and provides 1.3 million hours of assisted living services to more than 2,000 adults and children.
In addition to providing construction materials, Chadwicks Group will also team up with the IWA to raise funds for its national support services which include accessible transport, community centres, driving assessments and lessons, and respite care.
Launching today’s announcement was Paralympian, Patrick Monahan who credits organisations like the Irish Wheelchair Association with helping him find his passion for wheelchair racing.
“I am delighted to team up with Chadwicks Group and the Irish Wheelchair Association for this partnership. My accident over 10 years ago forced me to face a dramatic and difficult challenge, but I did not do it alone. The support of my family along with incredible organisations like the Irish Wheelchair Association enabled me to find my great passion, wheelchair racing, and for that, I am hugely thankful. As a former apprentice plumber, I look forward to working with the team in Chadwicks Group to highlight not only my story, but the vital work that the IWA coordinates across the country. I believe this is an exciting time for both organisations, and I am delighted to be part of their next chapter together.”
Commenting on the announcement, Patrick Atkinson Chief Executive of Chadwicks Group said,
“At Chadwicks Group, we believe in empowering our colleagues to implement positive change in their local communities. These Community Centres are a vital service for so many across the country and we look forward to helping make these centres more accessible and most importantly making a real difference in the lives of those who use these centres across Ireland.”
“We also look forward to learning more about the accessibility challenges in our own business through the IWA’s Disability Awareness Training programme which will be made available to all our Chadwicks Group colleagues. This training will increase our understanding of inclusion and diversity in the workplace, so we can adopt best practice principles across all of our nationwide branches.”
Commenting on the impact the partnership, Mildred Carroll, National Director of Community Services in the Irish Wheelchair Association said:
“The help we will receive from Chadwicks in addressing the maintenance needs of our community centres will have an enormous impact on the quality of life of people with disabilities all over the country.
Our community centre programmes are social, educational and recreational, providing essential support to people with disabilities in their local area, benefitting their physical and mental health. For some people, our centres are the only opportunity to meet friends and connect with their community. We are really grateful to Chadwicks for helping us to get much-needed work done across our centres”
