Social Inclusion Award winner named in Laois Community & Voluntary Awards

The Social Inclusion award recognises Groups/Organisations that actively work in a supportive role in their communities and whose aim is to minimise social exclusion and/or help to improve the quality of life for socially excluded groups.  

The nominees in this category were:

• Social Service Group
• Laois Down Syndrome
• Midlands LGBT+ Project
• Portlaoise Panthers All Inclusive Team
• Sing for Joy Choir
• PATH
• Mountrath Community Forum

The Runner-up in this category was: Laois Down Syndrome

The Winner of the Laois Community & Voluntary Award 2021 in the Social Inclusion Category was: PATH

The judge said, upon reading the application by PATH, they were immediately humbled and blown away by the level of commitment and hard work that is being undertaken to tackle homelessness in Laois and make the lives of people enduring hard times, that bit easier.

PATH and its volunteers epitomise "care in the community" in its truest sense. Voluntary work is the cornerstone of any community, in building and fostering relationships with a sense of common purpose but also, most importantly, to unite and make society a fairer and more inclusive one.

Sadly, now more than ever, people are either at risk of becoming homeless or are homeless. So many times, people who are homeless are treated as though they are invisible. PATH is having and making a societal change in how homelessness is viewed and how people are treated. 

The awards which are supported by the Laois Volunteer Centre and the Leinster Express were streamed live on Friday, February 11 on the Laois County Council website and Facebook page.