Penny McGowan
Kells Pink Ribbon Walk, Kells, Co Meath
Penny is the founder and chairperson of the Kells Pink Ribbon Walk, which had its inaugural walk on 12th September around Girley Bog, Co. Meath. As an avid walker, she saw the potential to develop a proper walking trail, and convinced Meath Tourism to develop the walk to raise funds for Action Breast Cancer. Penny was inspired by the UK Pink Ribbon Walk and felt the need to establish a similar event in Kells, having had family and friends affected by breast cancer. The walk surpassed its initial target of 500 walkers for this first time event, with over 600 male and female walkers and runners participating on the day. The event raised almost €90,000 in aid of Action Breast Cancer. Penny worked with a wonderful committee in organising the walk, but her individual contribution has been immense in managing the event. She is full of fun and has a boundless, infectious enthusiasm and the event truly would not have taken place without her incredible work. In the future she hopes to grow the event and bring the Pink Ribbon Walk nationwide. Her impact on the community also extends beyond the event in her role as chairperson of the Kells Pride of Place, as a former president of the Kells Chamber of Commerce, as well as being involved in establishing the Kells farmers’ market. For Penny, The Pink Ribbon Walk is particularly meaningful as it has not only raised money for a worthy cause, but it has also engendered a fantastic feeling of community spirit in the town. She somehow also finds time to be a wife, mother, and very glamorous grandmother!
“The walk created an incredible spirit throughout the whole community, from business people, individuals, school children, friends and families, all working together with a common objective, to raise funds and support all those touched by breast cancer.” – Penny
Photograph courtesy of Penny McGowan & Geraldine Gaughran
well done Penny and everyone else involved fantastic day totally enjoyed it with my sister we had a lovely day thinking o fthe past. we were so looking forward to doing the walk and that morning we got the phone call to tell us our aunt had passed away with cancer. so i hope it will be a yearly event because we will certainly be doing it again . fantastic event .well done to all involved. fantastic cause.
Along with a group of friends I very proudly walked the first Pink Ribbon Walk in Girley Bog last September. We had a wonderful day and I had the honour of meeting Penny later that night when everyone was out celebrating.
I was probably one of the lucky few walking the walk who’s life had not been directly involved by breast cancer but I still recognised how wonderful the charity Action Breast Cancer is and nobody knows the day when a loved one will be affected.
Two weeks later my lovely Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer and things moved very quickly from then on. She has since gone through many many tests and surgery. She still has more treatment to go through but her outlook is looking very positive.
I was given a very informative booklet about cancer from Action Breast Cancer – which answered a lot of our questions. Little did I realise a month before this, when I was raising money for the walk for ABC how, in such a short time I would be relying on them to help.
Well done to Action Breast Cancer and a huge congrats to Penny for organising such an enjoyable event for such a worthy charity.
Congratulations to Penny on the nomination and of course to everybody that was involved in the walk. Such a wonderful way to bring people together to raise much needed funds for a very very worthy cause!
I cannot think of anybody else who deserves this award more than Penny Mc Gowan. For as long as I can remember Penny has been involved in Community events in Kells and beyond in a voluntary capacity. Whether it has been the Pride of Place Initiative, the Kells Chamber of Commerce or the amazing Kells Pink Ribbon Walk, Penny has inspired so many people with her infectious enthusiasm, motivation and brilliant team leading skills. I feel privelaged to have worked with her on the Pink Ribbon Walk campaign which she lead in a remarkable manner. She is a huge asset to our town, our community and a great unselfishess person who deserves recognition for her amazing commitment and input to community development
Best of luck Penny, well deserved! Le gra, Louise Foley xxxx
Penny has been an inspirational leader in many volunatry efforts on behalf of the community for as long as I have known her, and the Pink Ribbon walk is the latest example. As first president of Kells Chamber of Commerce one of the best moves I made was to get Penny involved. Her leadership of the Pride of Place has transformed the town of Kells. Combining her work in developing the Girley Bog walk with her enthusiasm for walking resulted in the brialliantly successful Pink Ribbon walk. Every community needs a Penny McGowan. Whatever is decided by the judges, for me Penny is a winner anyway.
Congratulations on being nominated Penny and well done for all the hard work you put in to organising the wonderful first pink ribbon walk, here’s hoping it’s only the first of many. I would be proud to walk it again next year. Fingers crossed for the award.
When Penny first asked me to get involved in the inaugural Kells Pink Ribbon Walk, I felt very honoured – yet slightly daunted at the scale of her ambition. We’ll aim for 500 people, says she. Think positive, girls, became her battlecry. Think of the wonderful cause and the fact that Action Breast Cancer needs these funds.
The thing is (and anyone who has has met her will undoubtedly agree), it is very difficult to say ‘no’ to Penny. She is a human life force; a one-woman dynamo whose positive (and seemingly endless) energy and enthusiasm sweeps up all in her wake and carries them forward at a breath-taking pace. She is a quietly determined leader and yet very much a team player. She is both creative with her ideas and practical in her approach. I watched in admiration as she persuaded sponsors and newspaper editors to support this new Walk, whilst also spreading the word and recruiting groups of walkers from all over Ireland.
Penny gently encouraged and supported her team all the way through the whirlwind couple of months of organisation. One minute she was out digging on the Bog; the next she was whipping up a delicious supper out of a few store cupboard ingredients and feeding her rain-sodden troupe in her own home. Inevitably, there’s a lot of donkey work that goes on behind the scenes when organising an event of this scale, but Penny could always be found mucking in – I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess how many hours she spent packing t-shirts and sponsorship forms in to envelopes, for example!
It’s true that Penny has always been well-known in Kells for her voluntary work, be it with the Pride of Place or Kells Chamber of Commerce.
She is a humble person whom I suspect (know!) is a little mortified when the spotlight is shone upon her – yet she truly deserves any accolade that’s going.
The first Kells Pink Ribbon Walk was a huge success. Having lost my own mother to cancer, I am truly honoured to have been a small part of it.
It was a beautiful, if very emotive day. The sense of community and camaraderie was palpable. We made some much-needed funds for Action Breast Cancer, as well as some wonderful memories on the day and friendships along the way.
When I first agreed to participate, I had no idea of the amount of voluntary work and time that an event like this ultimately require.
Yet if Penny asks me again will I get involved? Well, as I said, it’s very hard to say no to that woman!
I feel both privileged and proud to know her.
Linda.
Penny McGowan is just one of those incredibly special people. She’s such a doer and a giver. Her energy is infectious and everyone loves her company.
good luck penny you orgainised a great day at girley bog and i hope to be there next year too.
Dear Penny,
I took part in the pink ribbon walk and thought it was a great event full of fun and laughter even though it was for a very serious cause. Only for people like Penny in our town I dont think events like this and all the other causes she is involved in would be as successful as they are.
I think she fully deserves this award and wish her the best of luck.
Looking forward to next years walk,
Joanne O Rourke