Flossie wins Environmental Change award

FOLLOWING a nationwide search, Ireland’s most inspirational people were announced at the inaugural Gala Retail/Sunday Independent Inspiration Awards.

On the night, which took place in The Marker Hotel, 12-year-old Flossie Donnelly from Sandycove scooped one of the top awards and was named as Ireland’s Inspiration in Environmental Change.

Nominated for her positive work in addressing pollution in her local area as well as further afield, Flossie was presented with the Inspiration in Environmental Change accolade by TV presenter, Deric O’hArtagáin.

After seeing how much litter and plastic ended up on beaches whilst on holiday three years ago, Flossie was inspired to take action and protect Irish seas from this worrying trend.

She started a weekly beach cleaning club for children and adults alike and is passionate about teaching young children that they can make a difference to environmental causes at any age.

Inspirational people from all across Ireland were nominated for the first-ever Sunday Independent / Gala Retail Inspiration Awards.

The final winners were selected by a judging panel including Sunday Independent Life magazine wellness columnist, Alison Canavan; RTE’s Marty Morrissey; Special Olympics Ireland’s CEO, Matt English; Gala Retail’s CEO, Gary Desmond and Head of News at the Sunday Independent, Paul Sheridan.

“Brave, courageous, selfless and inspirational are just some of the words that go some way to describing our finalists and winners at the Sunday Independent /Gala Retail Inspiration Awards,” Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail, said.

“Flossie and the fellow winners are true examples of people who are making Ireland a better place for us all. My fellow judges and I were incredibly impressed by Flossie’s continuous efforts in helping to tackle the problem of pollution in Ireland.

“By raising awareness through her blog as well as taking action through her organised beach cleans, Flossie is a worthy winner and our Inspiration in Environmental Change.”

The Inspirational Person of the Year award was presented to Kate Durrant from Blarney, County Cork by former Ireland International, Niall Quinn.

Kate also was the recipient of the Inspiration in the Community Award for her work with Blarney Community First Responders.

Organised by Gala Retail in conjunction with the Sunday Independent, Gala created the Inspiration Awards as a way of celebrating the selfless acts and inspirational deeds of people in Ireland who are making the country a better place.

As a community retailer with almost 200 stories across Ireland, Gala store owners often hear of inspirational stories in their local communities, and the inaugural Sunday Independent / Gala Retail Inspiration Awards have elevated Ireland’s unsung heroes onto a national stage, giving these inspirational people the recognition they deserve.

The star-studded inaugural Sunday Independent / Gala Retail Inspiration Awards were held on Wednesday, November 20 at Dublin’s Marker Hotel and were MCed by television personality, Lucy Kennedy.