Good vibes and grass skirts at Kildare day care centre opening

WALKING through the doors of Naas Day Care Centre, attendees at its official opening event were greeted by the sounds of lively voices accompanied by a chorus of ukuleles in what could only be described as a senior luau party.

And that was all thanks to Dublin-based ukulele band, Good Vibes, who performed for everyone at the launch day on Wednesday 30 September.

Service users and staff took to the floor dancing, while others watched with smiles and cups of tea in hand.

Semi-willing members of the audience were given grass skirts and leis and performed a hula dance with the music of Hawaii as the soundtrack.

Head of Trustus Senior Care, John Warren, then got up to welcome everyone to the event, before inviting Naas mayor, cllr Bill Clear, up to address the crowd. “I really enjoyed the hula,” he said. “It was fantastic.” 

He then went on to pledge support for the centre and for its service users, saying: “Kildare County Council will always support this. You worked hard all your lives – we will support you without a question.” 

He remarked on the great facility that Naas Day Care Centre is, and added that, with new management by Trustus, he had no doubt that they would do a fantastic job continuing excellent care.

South Dublin representative, cllr Alan Edge, who is also on the board of Trustus, spoke about the history of the organisation and talked through the array of services it provides to older people. He highlighted the work carried out by Trustus and the importance of providing services that allow older people to remain connected to their local communities.

Cllr Edge explained that Trustus Senior Care is a registered Irish charity based in Tallaght which supports vulnerable older adults. The organisation provides a range of services including day centres, an evening centre, Meals on Wheels, the Seniors Alert Scheme, a Friendly Call Service, a charity shop and a Community Employment Scheme.

The charity operates services across South Dublin, West Wicklow and Kildare, with Trustus taking over the running of Naas Day Care Centre in early April.

Then it was time for the official ribbon cutting, where local representatives, members of the HSE, and members of Trustus were invited to take part, officially marking the opening of the centre under its new management.

Tea, coffee and delicious food were provided for attendees afterwards, before one last performance by Good Vibes brought the celebrations to a close.