Fermanagh charity founder shocked and honoured at nomination

The Impartial Reporter Community Champion Awards 2024, in association with Encirc, was launched last month, in a bid to reward people who contribute most to their area. 

Having experienced cancer first-hand, Genevieve Irvine from Enniskillen felt there was inadequate support for those like her and their families in Fermanagh, so she founded and continues to lead the charity, SWELL (Supported We Live Life).

She was nominated for the most recent award by her son, Tully Irvine, and is now in the running for  Community Champion of the Year. 

Speaking on her nomination, Genevieve said: "I was both shocked and surprised to be nominated for the award and feel very honoured.

"As a cancer survivor, I experienced first-hand the lack of support and services available locally.

"I decided to do my bit to change that, and strive to help those who are affected by cancer living in Fermanagh.

"I couldn't do what I do without the support of the dedicated volunteers who give their time freely and bring their own cancer experience to their role within SWELL.

"My family have supported me through my diagnosis and have been there during the ups and downs of my cancer journey, and they champion my ambition to make positive changes for everyone affected by cancer living locally."

Tully Irvine, who lives in London, said he was inspired to nominate his mother due to her "tireless efforts" to support cancer patients, survivors and their families in Fermanagh, who are often marginalised due to Fermanagh's rurality.

"Founded in 2018, she led the group [SWELL] to become a registered charity, with a community hub being opened in 2021," he explained.

"The results of her tireless efforts are vast in numerical terms, but Genevieve's care and dedication to those around her are immeasurable.

"To date, Genevieve has facilitated the raising of more than £200,000 in donations and funding that assists those based in Fermanagh, and has helped more than 1,000 people through counselling, workshops and activities.

"In 2022/23, she was directly responsible for organising 509 sessions of complimentary therapies and facilitating 323 counselling sessions. 

"Her actions have been recognised in local and national news, as well as being awarded the Platinum Champions Award for her outstanding voluntary activity in the community; and most recently, receiving a BEM for services to the community."

Mr. Irvine added that his mother's efforts have had a "remarkable impact" on the local community. 

"Her initial idea to help others like her has evolved into an integral support service in Fermanagh," he said.

"In 2022-23, her organisation and leadership amounted to more than 1,113 support sessions being run for those in Fermanagh, along with 858 people directly receiving personal care."

Providing such a service to the local community requires tireless work, much of which goes unseen. 

Mr. Irvine said that his mother will often spend late nights in the kitchen filling out funding forms, or has early morning starts as she travels across the country to raise awareness of the struggles faced by those with cancer.

"She devotes hours every day to ensure that the centre and those who enter its doors are welcomed and put at ease, and her evenings are now spent crafting reports and social media content," Mr. Irvine beamed.

"My mother's commitment to the community extends far beyond simply charity or voluntary work, as I can say without hesitation that she now devotes her life to those affected by cancer and their families within Fermanagh.

"As I have since moved to London, phone calls now revolve around what new activities she has in the pipeline, which other charities she is collaborating with, and the daily goings-on in the centre. 

"On occasion, she has hung up on me, as she was receiving a call from someone requiring assistance from the charity!

"There seems to be nothing too big or small that my mother will not do to help those impacted by cancer around her," Mr. Irvine added.