Mock wedding to help new Athlone animal group

Athlone's newest animal welfare organisation is hoping for lots of support at its fundraising event this coming Saturday October 17. Athlone Animal Welfare (AAW), along with the ISPCA, is hosting a Mock Wedding in The Bounty pub on Coosan Road to raise funds for a number of education initiatives that the group is currently launching. The Mock Wedding will start at 8pm sharp on Saturday. Gerry Glynn from the Paramedic Ambulance Service will be the blushing bride and Tanya Cannon of A1 Cleaning taking on the role of the groom for the evening. Tickets are €20 and will include attendance to the ceremony, dinner, a comedy show with Terry Larkin and Fergie Jameson and music for the evening. Don't miss a night of great fun and joviality! The AAW is a voluntary non-profit organisation, that aims to prevent the neglect and mistreatment of animals, encourage responsible pet ownership and raise awareness on key animal welfare issues. Although a new group, it is made up of a experienced members and a strong committee that has been involved in animal welfare for many years and also has developed strong associations with the ISPCA and other animal welfare organisations. Chairperson of the AAW is Caoimhe Howley. "Our goal is to alleviate the needless suffering of animals and improve the welfare standards of animals through education, and through promotional campaigns on key issues. For the past few months our education team have been developing educational packages for delivery in primary schools, and will be developing programmes for secondary schools in the near future. Our education team have attended training sessions by the DSPCA and Dogs Trust and will be teaching children about key animal welfare issues - most importantly how to care for and treat their pets," she explained. AAW will be sending out letters to all the schools in Athlone but any teacher interested in getting involved now can contact the AAW to arrange a talk. AAW is also passionate about neutering cats and dogs and Caoimhe said it's a growing problem in Athlone, where there are many stray and abandoned animals. "We plan to deliver postcards to each household in Athlone promoting the neutering and spaying of cats and dogs. These postcards will act as discounts on a spay or neutering of a cat or dog. They will reach approximately 6,500 households in Athlone," said Caoimhe. "In the future we also hope to implement trap, release and neuter scheme for stray and feral cats. However we need to raise much need funds for all our projects." At the moment, AAW cannot take in dogs as it does not have the funding for kennelling, however a foster family does take in injured or abandoned kittens. New foster families who can offer a loving home for few weeks are always wanted as are kind people who would like to adopt a kitten, such as Muffin, who is pictured. Tickets for the mock wedding must be pre-booked by phoning 085 1657200 or contacting AAW through Facebook online. If a teacher wants AAW to visit their class, email athloneanimalwelfare@gmail.com or phone 085 1657200.