Mayo Rape Crisis Centre is delighted to be among the recipients of this year’s Mayo People of the Year Awards, announced yesterday, November 2.

The annual event is organised each year by RehabCare, Mayo County Council and The Connaught Telegraph, with the purpose of giving recognition to people and organisations whose significant achievements may otherwise go unacknowledged.

15  awards honouring individuals and organisations across the county will be presented at a gala banquet in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, on Friday, November 17.

Reacting to the announcement, Director of Mayo Rape Crisis Centre, Loretta Brosnan McDonagh said: “Mayo Rape Crisis Centre is honoured to be among the recipients of the Mayo People of the Year Awards for 2023. The award speaks of the value placed on this service that has operated in the community for the past 29 years, and honours the work of the staff of the Centre, the Board of Directors, but more than anything, the voice of the survivor throughout Mayo.”

“We are really grateful that the service is being recognised in this way by the county.”

The announcement included the following remarks:

Mayo Rape Crisis Centre has been operating in the county town for almost 30 years, delivering a service countywide. The service it provides necessitates a commitment to safety, discretion, empathy and a radical standing with people who have endured a violation of the most profound kind and their families and supporters. 

The service with its staff, volunteers and board, work with the impact of some of the most serious crimes that can be committed. The centre’s commitment to the people who seek out their service is second to none. 

In terms of professionalism, expertise and care, it is very much a service that works on an ongoing basis with the constant changes to the overall picture of sexual violence, changes in the law, the various cultures that enable sexual violence to happen and the lonely, distressing after affects for many victims and survivors. 

A full list of the Mayo People of the Year Award 2023 winners is available here.