Kildare athlete Patrick Monahan launches Chadwick's partnership with Irish Wheelchair Association

Kildare athlete and Paralympian Patrick (Pa) Monahan, the T53 wheelchair racer, teamed up with builders' suppliers Chadwicks Group recently to launch its partnership with the Irish Wheelchair Association.

The IWA is the group's new charity partner for this year. It will supply a range of building materials to IWA community centres across the country to help improve accessibility for its users. The IWA operates 57 community centres nationwide and provides 1.3 million hours of assisted living services to more than 2,000 adults and children.

The IWA offers services for those with physical disabilities to live independently, all the while campaigning for equal opportunities for their community.

In addition to providing construction materials, Chadwicks Group, which has a large store in Naas, will also team up with the IWA to raise funds for its national support services which include accessible transport, community centres, driving assessments and lessons, and respite care.

Pa Monahan  credits organisations like the Irish Wheelchair Association with helping him find his passion for wheelchair racing.

“I am delighted to team up with Chadwicks Group and the Irish Wheelchair Association for this partnership. My accident over 10 years ago forced me to face a dramatic and difficult challenge, but I did not do it alone," he said.

"The support of my family along with incredible organisations like the Irish Wheelchair Association enabled me to find my great passion, wheelchair racing, and for that, I am hugely thankful. As a former apprentice plumber, I look forward to working with the team in Chadwicks Group to highlight not only my story, but the vital work that the IWA coordinates across the country. I believe this is an exciting time for both organisations, and I am delighted to be part of their next chapter together.”

Commenting on the announcement, Patrick Atkinson Chief Executive of Chadwicks Group, said, “At Chadwicks Group, we believe in empowering our colleagues to implement positive change in their local communities. These community centres are a vital service for so many across the country and we look forward to helping make these centres more accessible and most importantly making a real difference in the lives of those who use these centres across Ireland. 

“We also look forward to learning more about the accessibility challenges in our own business through the IWA’s Disability Awareness Training programme which will be made available to all our Chadwicks Group colleagues. This training will increase our understanding of inclusion and diversity in the workplace, so we can adopt best practice principles across all of our nationwide branches.”

Mildred Carroll, National Director of Community Services in the Irish Wheelchair Association, said: “The help we will receive from Chadwicks in addressing the maintenance needs of our community centres will have an enormous impact on the quality of life of people with disabilities all over the country.

"Our community centre programmes are social, educational and recreational, providing essential support to people with disabilities in their local area, benefitting their physical and mental health. For some people, our centres are the only opportunity to meet friends and connect with their community. We are really grateful to Chadwicks for helping us to get much-needed work done across our centres.”