Background.
In 2025 Malahide Lions Club became aware that there were  small groups in existence in Fingal which had been set up to aid families with specific needs. A new sub-committee was formed to locate and investigate such groups which, in the main, did not receive state funding and were forced to rely on fundraising to remain in existence. The aim was to see if Malahide Lions Club could usefully support these groups.

​The Story so far:
To date the club has supported a number of groups which were identified as fitting the criteria and in need of additional funding to continue the essential and valuable work they do. Malahide Lions Club plans to continue to identify suitable targets for our initiative, providing financial support to locally based groups in our wider community.

A Dó Coffee.
Malahide Lions Club is grateful to Krishna and the staff of A Dó coffee shop in New Street who gave up their free time  on Christmas morning to open up and serve coffee, donating all proceeds to the club. €2640 was raised which was spent on some of the groups mentioned below.

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Aoife's Clown Doctors:
This Charity was set up in memory of local girl Aoife Hendrick who passed away from leukaemia aged 5 in Crumlin Hospital. The clown doctors are professional actors, trained to work in hospital settings. They visit children's hospitals and create fun and laughter, madcap comedy and high energy antics in wards and waiting rooms.
In March 2025 a cheque for €960, which is sufficient to cover four separate hospital visits, was presented to Aoife's mother, Áine, at the bench dedicated to her memory in Malahide Castle,

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Willowbrook House Down Syndrome Support (Swords):
The centre provides clinical, educational and well-being services for children with Down Syndrome from birth to 18 years, and their families. Their team of qualified speech and language therapists, occupational therapists physiotherapists and teachers provide personalised support which evolves with each child's growth. Our support helps pay for their premises and other areas not covered by the HSE. We were aided in this project by Swords Lions Club.

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Snowflake Autistic Support:
This is a parent led charity which is based in Holywell Community Centre in Swords. It provides support to children with autism and their families. The charity provides a range of services and to date has provided support to over 500 children.

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Skerries Youth Support Services (SYSS)
This is a youth focused community organisation supporting young people who may be experiencing challenges to their positive mental health. The project offers free counselling to young people between the ages of 12 to 24. While it is based in Skerries, the service is open to all at-risk young people in the greater Fingal area. The project also produces a yearly booklet called Myself My Life which includes information about mental health issues such as gambling, bullying, depression, drugs and alcohol abuse.

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The Anchor Club
This club, based in Malahide, was set up in 2017 as a social club for children with special needs. These children often find holiday periods difficult, finding it difficult to socialise and have fun with their peers when schools are closed. The Charity organises a social club every Friday during June, July and August and during holiday periods and mid-term breaks, providing a range of activities and outings.

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Green Nuts: The Green Nuts Men's group meets Every Tuesday evening for a walk around Malahide Castle to unwind, chat and make connections. The group has about 50 members at present.

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