The people behind Galway Cat Rescue are purring with delight after winning a national award.

The charity scooped the Rescue Activity Award at the inaugural Petmania Ruby Heart Awards 2025.

It comes with a prize of €1,500 and was awarded in recognition of the successs of its brainchild, the ‘Fur Ball’, last year, bringing together Galway’s leading animal welfare groups to foster collaboration and public awareness.

Strengthening the future of animal welfare in the region through a ‘one voice’ approach, the event itself raised €10,000 for local rescue efforts, including Galway Cat Rescue’s hugely successful Trap-Neuter-Release programme.

But, more importantly, it stimulated a ripple effect of unity across the county, bringing volunteers and support to ongoing cross-charity collaboration, according to the judges.

“Winning this award reaffirms that our work is appreciated by the animal-loving community we serve,” said Olivia O’Reilly of Galway Cat Rescue. “It’s a shared win for every volunteer and rescue group in Galway working together for a common cause.”

Galway Cat Rescue is an all-volunteer group of animal lovers, committed to helping homeless cats in Galway and dedicated to giving every cat a chance to live a safe, healthy and happy life.

It was established in 2010 due to frustration that not enough was being done to help feral cats.

Since then they have neutered more than 4,600 cats and have been successful in re-homing over 2,050. They also care for numerous abandoned and injured cats and kittens.

Galway Cat Rescue do not have a sanctuary or shelter, but operate using a network of fosterers who look after cats and kittens in their own homes. This provides the best possible opportunity for them to become well socialised in a normal domestic environment.

“We want the cats to find a forever home in the shortest time-frame, and by adopting best practice adoption protocols and early age neuter/spay procedures they can go to these homes directly from the invaluable socialising care a foster home provides,” the group says.

Galway cat Rescue has been officially registered as a non-profit charity since July 2011. It is assisted by animal welfare grant funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Educating and informing the public about the care of cats and the importance of spaying and neutering their pets is one of our priorities. Its mission is to solve the Galway feral cat overpopulation crisis through the humane, non-lethal method of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).

Pictured at the presentation of the Rescue Activity Award to Galway Cat Rescue were (from left) Niall Hennessy, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, sponsors of the award; Olivia O’Reilly, Caroline Gorton and Rhiannon Gorton, Galway Cat Rescue; and Emily Miller, Petmania.

National housing charity Threshold has described Galway as one of the areas most acutely affected by affordability issues, with a shortage of rental accommodation and high housing demand.

The charity has officially opened its renovated regional office in Galway City centre, providing increased capacity for free appointments with its expert advisors.

The newly reopened office will serve as a dedicated hub for tenants seeking advice and support on their rental rights in a highly challenging market.

The office on Prospect Hill, off Eyre Square, was officially opened on Friday last by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, alongside local stakeholders and members of Threshold’s national and regional teams.

The regional hub will also cater for private tenants in Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

The official opening comes as the housing charity continues to experience a high volume of queries regionally and nationwide. In the past 12 months, Threshold supported 3,211 households across Connacht and Donegal.

Of the total households already supported by Threshold in the area in the past year, the majority (2,159) are based in Galway city and county, highlighting the continued pressures in the region’s rental market.

On the same day, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) hosted a public forum in the city, focused on rental law compliance. The forum comes on foot of the research published by the RTB, the ESRI and the CSO, which all point to high rental inflation trends in Galway. Recent data by the RTB has shown that as of Q4 2024, new tenancy rent levels in Galway continued to increase after eight consecutive quarters. The city has the second highest rents for new tenancies at €1,730, after Dublin City at €2,120.

Threshold has flagged the region as one of the most acutely affected by affordability issues, driven in part by lack of available rented housing and continued high housing demand.

The timing of the office launch underscores the urgency of the housing situation in the county and wider region.

Minister Browne sadi that the timing of his visit to Galway was important in a week when the Government had announced the introduction of a national rent control for the entire country.

Threshold CEO, John-Mark McCafferty, said that the reopening of Threshold’s Galway office gives them the capacity to work more closely with tenants in the region and ensure they are supported according to their needs.

“We are seeing continued pressures facing private tenants in the West and Northwest, with increased demand for affordable housing, and increasing rents — some of which are in breach of rent regulations and over the limits in place under Rent Pressure Zone legislation.

“Threshold’s Western Regional office in Galway will be an important resource for tenants in the region, who can be assured that they will receive free, expert-led advice and support for queries regarding their tenancy.”

Threshold’s Galway office will open to the public on Monday, June 30, with public consultations by appointment available from 9:30am to 4pm every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

The renovation of the Galway office was made possible by a bequest from the late Chris O’Dea, whose lasting legacy of support is honoured with a dedicated room in his memory.

Additionally, Threshold will continue to hold appointments at the Ard Family Resource Centre on Doughiska Road in Galway City every Wednesday and in the Westside Resource Centre on Seamus Quirke Road every Friday, between 9am and 5pm.

Appointments can be scheduled via Threshold’s website at www.threshold.ie or by calling 1800 454 454.

Threshold’s helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am- 9pm at 1800 454 454, or online at www.threshold.ie/get-help for any private renter in need of advice or support.

Pictured: James Browne, (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, performing the official opening of Threshold’s Galway office. Photo:  Michael Dillon.

Motorists are taking their lives in their hands, trying to edge their way onto main roads because the growth of greenery along the verges is restricting their sightlines.

That’s according to local Cllr Declan Geraghty as the blame was laid at the doorsteps of both Galway County Council and the National Roads Authority for not cutting back hedges to maintain clear sightlines.

The matter came before a meeting of Ballinasloe Municipal Council when local officials said that they were operating with the resources that were made available to them.

But Senior Executive Engineer Derek Troy told councillors that there was huge growth at the moment, given the mild and balmy conditions and it was difficult to cut the sides of every road in the county.

Mr Troy said that it was hugely expensive to cut the sides of roads but he assured local councillors that priority would be given to the most trafficked roads in the area.

He assured councillors that the cutting of grass verges would be carried out at junctions where there were safety issues involved.

Mr Troy added that funding was a major issue and that “we are cutting our cloth” given the lack of resources available to the local authority.

The matter was raised by Cllr Declan Geraghty (Ind) who said that there was overgrowth at junctions on roads in the north and east Galway areas due to the current spell of both wet and relatively warm weather.

The Williamstown councillor said that there were motorists and householders who had to drive out over the white line in order to get out onto roads given that they were blocked out by overgrowth.

“I have been told, and I have experienced it myself, that motorists are finding it difficult to access main roads safely because the hedges on both sides are overgrown.

“It seems as if we don’t have the money or we don’t have the staff and it is about time our elected members nationally to secure the necessary funding for the hedge cutting to be carried out.

“There are people taking their lives in their hands as they approach main roads because they cannot see what is coming in either direction.

“We need to wake up to this situation because our TDs and Senators are not stepping up to the mark in securing the funding that is necessary to carry out the works,” added Cllr Geraghty.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Peter Keaveney (FG) said that the works needed to be completed in June and July when there is most growth.

The Glenamaddy councillor said that he appreciated the lack of funding and available staff but stressed that the most urgent situations had to be addressed as soon as possible.

Pictured: Senior Executive Engineer Derek Troy.