This year’s Lakers Summer Camp was an incredible six weeks filled with adventure, laughter, and unforgettable memories for our members, families, and volunteers. We kicked off summer with an amazing line-up of outings, from exploring the wonders of Dublin Zoo and taking a boat trip to Howth to visiting the breath-taking scenery of Glendalough and enjoying a fun-filled day at Delta Sensory Gardens in Carlow. Our members also loved testing their courage and curiosity at the Avondale Tree Top Walk and experiencing the excitement of Navan Adventure Park, alongside plenty of other fantastic trips.

Back at Lakers HQ, there was just as much fun to be had! Both our adult and junior members got hands-on with nature during weekly sessions in Knocksink Forest, learning about the trees, wildlife, and habitats with the help of the wonderful Knocksink staff, Wendy and Laura. We also squeezed in plenty of cinema trips, competitive games of Bingo, we welcomed back Boxercise and Keep fit to our timetable and of course arts and crafts which now fill up the hallways of Lakers with colour.

Lakers Sports & Social were honoured to welcome Mary Lou McDonald, President of Sinn Féin, and TD John Brady to our centre at the beginning of July, along with their aides. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work we do, the community we’ve built, and the incredible members who make Lakers such a vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming place.

Our Chairperson, Fergus Finlay, and General Manager, Joe Kelly, were proud to give Mary Lou and John a tour of our newly renovated centre, highlighting the facilities that are helping us better support our members every day. During their visit, they met some of our amazing members — Mandy, Carl, Niamh, Jamie, and Ben — who generously shared their personal stories and spoke about what Lakers means to them. These heartfelt conversations were a powerful reminder of why our work matters and how much of a difference our community makes in people’s lives.

Mary Lou and John also met with members of the Lakers team, where they were briefed on the next exciting phase of our renovation project, which is set to begin this summer. Their interest and support mean a lot to us as we continue working towards creating even more opportunities and better facilities for our members.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Mary Lou, John, and their team for taking the time to visit, listen, and show their support for our vision and mission. It was an inspiring day for everyone involved, and we look forward to sharing more updates on our ongoing projects very soon!