Wonderful calendar chronicle for Laois school backed by very successful past pupil

Sean Hall supports fundraising publication for Rath National School in Ballybrittas

They say school days are the happiest of our lives and they must hold fond memories for one hugely successful businessman if his recent sponsorship of his primary school charity calendar is anything to go by.

Rath NS in Ballybrittas has brought out its much anticipated charity calendar and this year it has been sponsored by Sean Hall, a former pupil of the school and Managing Director of Manguard Plus, Ireland’s largest privately owned Irish security company.

The calendar is the result of much hard work by the school, spearheaded by a dedicated committee, who were determined to find a sponsor to ensure all monies raised would go directly towards the purchase of much needed digital equipment for its pupils with special educational needs.

Tommy Fitzgerald is Principal of Rath NS.

"On behalf of our entire school community, I wish to sincerely thank Sean Hall, a past pupil of Rath N.S., and everyone associated with Manguard Plus for their extremely generous sponsorship. The funds provided will assist us purchase extra iPads for our pupils with special educational needs. This will greatly enhance the learning experience for these children. We are extremely grateful,” he said.

The school contacted Sean who, true to form, didn’t hesitate to stump up the funds to cover the printing costs of the calendar.

“I am delighted to support this initiative. I have great memories of Rath NS - it’s a small school with a big imprint. School sets down so many foundations for young people and I passionately believe that giving kids the best possible educational advantages sets them up for life, it is crucially important.

"I have great admiration for schools who do all they can to provide their pupils with the best start in life, educationally and personally. They are constantly looking out for opportunities that will enrich the school and provide a full educational advantage and putting this lovely calendar together is yet another example of the real effort that is synonymous with Rath NS,” he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE

A total of 200 copies of the calendar have gone on sale from the school and local retailers Íosa Linn Playschool, Village Coffee, Donoher's Service Station and Early Scholars Crèche, all located in the village of Ballybrittas.

The calendars cost €8 for 1, €15 for 2 and €20 for 3. They.

So, put them on your Santa list ; the perfect stocking filler and a lovely record of Rath NS school activities!

More about Sean Hall's business success below his picture.

Founded in 1996, Manguard Plus is the largest privately owned Irish security company in Ireland.

It employs over 1000 people from offices in Naas, Cork, Waterford and Belfast. It has recently expanded into Co. Laois with a full mobile service. It also has offices in London.

It numbers Dublin Port Company, Aer Lingus, DSV and Virgin Media amongst its clients.

The company, which prides itself on excellent customer service has seen its professional ethos recognised ,being awarded the much sought after ISO awards, namely ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018 and 1SO 14001:2015 quality awards.

The independent assessment was conducted by the leading certification body, European Quality Assurance (EQA) and demonstrates the company’s commitment to customer service and quality in service delivery, its impact and contribution to environmental standards and health and safety practices within the company.

It has now earned the right to display the coveted ISO certification marks to demonstrate its adherence to these standards.