Pride of Place runners up award for Esker House
Esker House took home a runners up award from the IPB Pride of Place Awards this weekend.
Esker House, which has been based in Athlone for many years before establishing a Mullingar service in recent years, supports women and children affected by domestic abuse in the Midlands through crisis accommodation, outreach and awareness-raising.
Along with Chrysalis Women's Centre in Craigavon, it was one of two runners up in the Community-Focused Wellbeing Initiative Award category at the awards on Saturday night at the Convention Centre in Dublin.
The category was won by Dublin 24 Women’s Shed
In a post online, Esker House said it was proud to be named as runner up, and knew that the award represents "more than Esker House alone.
It represents the incredible support of our community, the dedication and compassion of our staff, and, most importantly, the women and children who show such courage every day in reaching out, engaging with our service, and taking steps towards safety, healing and a future free from abuse. We are deeply grateful for the trust they place in us…..
"This recognition is a powerful reminder that domestic abuse exists within our communities, but so too does the compassion, strength and determination to challenge it. We are proud to live and work in a community and on an island where people are willing to stand alongside us, raise awareness, offer support and help us work towards ending violence against women and children.
"This award is not just about what we do at Esker House. It is about what we can achieve together. To everyone who supports our work, stands with survivors, challenges abuse and helps create a safer future for women and children….thank you. You are an essential part of this journey. And to every woman and child who has the courage to take that first step and reach out to us…we see you, we hear you, and we are here for you."
It thanked Westmeath County Council for nominating the service for the awards final.
"We accept this all Ireland recognition with gratitude, but we continue our work with the same commitment and determination…..to support, to empower, to raise awareness and to help end domestic abuse and violence against women and children," the online post concluded.