John Twomey, Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian athlete, to host exclusive black-tie ball in Cork in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland.

The Cork Jazz Ball in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland is set to take place at the Clayton Silver Springs Hotel in Cork on Saturday 28th October 2017. The event will be a black-tie affair and will feature a Prosecco reception, a four-course meal with wine, prizes, music and dancing until the early hours. Well-known jazz group, The Swing Cats, will also appear on the night and play music from their fantastic repertoire of songs.
 
John Twomey, organiser of the event along with a committee of volunteers, is Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian athlete and has competed in a total of 11 Paralympic Games since 1984. He was also the official flag bearer for Ireland at last year’s Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. John is an avid sailor and is a member of the Kinsale Yacht Club where he completes all his training for the Paralympics Games. John explained that he decided to organise this upcoming ball in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) as he saw first-hand the important work SII carry out in his local community.
 
Currently, Spinal Injuries Ireland provides support to 214 people and their families in Cork and over 1,800 people nationwide. SII provides a range of services to people living with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) including its Community Connect service whereby a Community Outreach Officer visits clients in their homes to offer active support and goal setting along with providing up to date information on applying for grants.”
 
He also explained that SII provides a Peer Mentoring service which links volunteer peer support mentors with people living with spinal cord injuries in their local area. “This is an amazing service as it links people with new spinal cord injuries with people who are further along in their injury to advise them and provide an additional support network that they can access at any time.”
 
Lastly, SII provides a Family Support service which provides support to family members directly. This is a separate service that SII provide in addition to offering support to the person with a spinal cord injury. John said that he is excited about the upcoming ball in aid Spinal Injuries Ireland and added: “The proceeds from this ball will provide much-needed funding to Spinal Injuries Ireland so that they can continue to provide essential services for people living with spinal cord injuries in Cork “It is so important that people living with SCIs continue to have access to the services that Spinal Injuries Ireland provide within the community. It is vital for people living with disabilities in Cork that these services not only continue but expand on a much larger level.”
 
All money raised on the night will go towards helping SII deliver increased services to clients and families living with spinal cord injuries in Co. Cork.

The price for a table of 10 people at the Cork Jazz Ball in aid of SII is €900 per table or €90 per person.
For more information or to book tickets contact Philip at SII at [email protected]

Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision