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NEWS
April/May 2013 www.esb.ie/em
STAFF INSURANCE DRAW NETS €7.4K FOR CHARITY
PICTURED ABOVE IS Deborah Lee of JLT Ireland, Trust Director and Co-Founder Alice Leahy and Trust Deputy Director Geraldine McAuliffe, with Catherina Mcmanus of BSC Staff Insurance Schemes, who presented our annual donation to Trust following our Christmas Charity Draw in December 2012.
Trust is a non party-political, non denominational voluntary body set up in 1975 to provide medical and related social services for people who are homeless. Trust was the first service of its kind in Ireland and a model for similar services here and abroad. This year's donation to Trust amounted to €3,800.
A further €3,600 was donated to Pieta House Suicide and Self Harm Crisis Centre
In addition, a further €3,600 was donated to Pieta House Suicide and Self Harm Crisis Centre.
May we take this opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of ESB staff. The willingness of ESB staff to participate in good causes never ceases to amaze us: despite these difficult times you remain generous in your giving, whether it be buying our raffle tickets, donating a spot prize or giving us unwanted baskets for recycling.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. Long may it continue!
We have already started to collect unwanted xmas/birthday gifts, baskets for recycling for hampers for our event in December 2013 -so please drop in to Room A237 if you have anything to donate.
Departed friends
| Name Location | Departed |
| Nora Walsh Tarbert | 31/12/2012 |
| Mary Healy South West Networks | 31/12/2012 |
| Anne Walsh Great Island | 18/12/2012 |
| Edmond Sheehan ESBI Engineering | 11/01/2013 |
| Michael Jacob Allenwood Station | 03/01/2013 |
| Nuala Guilly Corporate Affairs & HR | 17/01/2013 |
| Patricia Kennedy Skipton Network Services | 06/01/2013 |
| Veronica Moran Fisheries/Moneypoint | 10/01/2013 |
| David O Hamlett North West Networks | 15/01/2013 |
| Una O’Brien Poolbeg Station | 20/01/2013 |
| John W. Costello South East N/Works | 27/01/2013 |
| Ena Drudy Midland West Networks | 21/01/2013 |
| Kevin Heffernan HR | 25/01/2013 |
| John T. Flynn Retired Peat Station | 17/01/2013 |
| Ann Tibby North West Networks | 21/01/2013 |
| Donal Moloney Marina Station | 25/01/2013 |
| Francis Darcy Donegal Station | 27/01/2013 |
| Andrew Brett Ferbane Station | 22/12/2012 |
| Kathleen Gleeson Dublin Stations | 26/01/2013 |
| William Dunne Allenwood Station | 17 01 013 |
| Helen McDonnell Dublin North & Dundalk | 18/01/2013 |
| Mai Howley Midland and West Networks | 29/01/2013 |
| Mary Lynch North Wall Station | 05/02/2013 |
| Francis T. McCarron North West Networks | 05/02/2013 |
| Catherine Lynch Ardnachrusha Hydro | 19/12/2012 |
| James C. Boland Retired Peat Station | 06/02/2013 |
| Philomena O’Brien Customer Supply | 10/02/2013 |
| James W. O’Reilly Dublin Central and Sth | 10/02/2013 |
| Mary Mitchell Midland and West Networks | 26/01/2013 |
| Kathleen Cunningham Dundalk | 09/01/2013 |
| Brendan Tanham North Wall Station | 11/02/2013 |
| Gerard Russell Midland and West Networks | 18/02/2013 |
| Daniel Crowley South West Networks | 19/02/2013 |
| Eileen Troy Dublin Central and Sth | 23/01/2013 |
| Patrick B O’Brien Midland West Networks | 06/02/2013 |
| Finbarr O’Flynn South West Networks | 11/02/2013 |
| Kieran Connell Poolbeg Station | 17/02/2013 |
| William P Baldrick Generation Technology | 18/02/2013 |
| Patrick B Lynch Payments | 19/02/2013 |
| Eileen O’Driscoll Midland West Networks | 08/02/2013 |
| Paddy Mulhare Midland West Networks | 02 2013 |
PEDOMETER CHALLENGE
TWO OF THIS year's Pedometer Challenge team were involved in last year's challenge (Tom Higgins and Claire Kierans), which they really enjoyed and a competitive element drove them to see if they could better last years effort where they finished 9th overall and second finishing team in ESB. They knew the effort they put in then and the standard required to move up. That was the challenge for 2012.
Two ESB staff members involved in the Irish Heart Foundation's 2011 Pedometer Challenge, Tom Higgins and Claire Kierans, so enjoyed the event that they upped their participation in the latest instalment.
In comparison to last year, Tom and Claire doubled their effort dedicating a minimum of three hours ta day to walking to maintain a high daily pedometer average, while adding to their total, where possible, on the weekend.. The aim was to have walked 25,000 extra steps in addition to their normal daily routine while the challenge took place in September and October.
During the challenge, you are “programmed to your daily routine”. After the effort of four weeks where you almost work, eat and sleep the walking, you almost find yourself with withdrawal symptoms not having to maintain the extra kilometres, but now the participants find it easy to keep up with the recommendation to have 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day.
This year's competition was a lot tougher, the effort was put in and we came in at second place in the overall national leader board and in first place out of all the ESB teams. Roll on next year!
GROW IT YOURSELF (GIY)
GROW IT YOURSELF (GIY) Ireland was founded in 2009 by author and journalist Michael Kelly after he stood in his local shop looking to purchase garlic to find it was all shipped in from China and he thought,’ I can grow this'.
GIY has grown (pardon the pun) from strength to strength becoming the biggest gardening group in the world.
Check out its website where you will get lots and lots of info from the very, very basic to those more difficult problems you might encounter. www.giyireland.com
Head Office Complex (consisting of Fitzwilliam, Osprey House, Stephen Court, Merrion Square) has a GIY Group that meets once a month in the slow growing season and twice a month when things really get sprouting in the warmer weather. There are all levels of gardeners in the group, from beginners to the well-established and including staff that are still thinking about taking the plunge into growing fruit and Veg at home.
If you are planning to grow it yourself for the first time this year and wondering what to grow, the key is to start small and stick to things that you like to eat. Pick five vegetables you like and get planting. If this is all too much, why not think about having a few herbs growing on your windowsill. Or how about having strawberries in a hanging basket or lettuce in a pot? There is a great cut-come lettuce that keeps growing all summer, you just pick off the leaves as required. Three plants should see a small family through the summer. Just take on what you can manage, so that you don't get overwhelmed.
THINGS TO DO DURING APRIL
Here are a few simple little tips for things to do during April in the Veg. patch
• Keep on top of new season weeds and slugs! (the GIY Ireland website has a fabulous oscillating hoe for sale that I find brilliant to use)
• Harden off seedlings before planting out
• Sow indoors: lettuce, peppers, cucumber, sweetcorn, courgette, French beans, tomatoes and pumpkin.
• Sow outdoors: broad bean, parsnips, spuds (traditionally first sown on or after St. Patrick's Day), onion sets, carrots, spinach, kale and leeks
TOP 5 FRUITS TO GROW
1 .APPLE TREES - Did you know that nine out of every 10 apples sold in Irish supermarkets are imported? You can now buy miniature apple trees so even the smallest garden can produce a decent crop of apples.
2. PLUMS - GROW surprising well in Ireland and produce an abundance of plump, succulent fruits.
3. STRAWBERRIES - the true taste of summer, are easy to grow and can even be grown in containers around the patio or back door.
4. RASPBERRIES - these grow on tall canes and therefore need some space, but you will be rewarded with their sheer lusciousness!
5. RHUBARB - A single rhubarb crown will provide stems for years to
4 MOUNTAINS, 12,000 FEET, 3 DAYS! HOMELESS IN IRELAND
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