The Volunteers at the Heart of Helvick

30 years ago, Darren Ó Droma undertook 'a mad notion' to swim across the bay from Ballinacourty to Helvick head with his friends. This was despite him being admittedly 'not much of a swimmer' but following a tragedy at sea, they were determined to swim in a bid to fundraise for a lifesaving service at Helvick Head to replace one that had been decommissioned some years previously. The rest is history because last weekend, the 30th RNLI Helvick head swim took place with a record 117 swimmers in the bay and 207 volunteers. One of those volunteers is Anne Harrington, whose mother sadly died when Anne was just two years of age in an incident at sea. It was these lived experiences which brought both Darren and Anne to the RNLI as a charity, determined to provide not just a necessary service within the community, but also to provide a focal point within the community to bring people together. Pour a cup of tea and listen back to Darren and Anne, it offers perspective in what can be a very busy life. Keep up to date on all the latest from The Big Breakfast Blaa with Ollie and Dymphna from 6am until 10am daily.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.