“This award highlights the success of the social and therapeutic programmes in Clonmel and also acknowledges the impact of our partnership with the Education Training Board (ETB) which continues to be an engaging and rewarding initiative for participants,” according to Sinead O’Mahoney Carey, HSE Coordinator South Tipperary Substance Misuse Team, speaking as the therapeutic horticultural project was recognised at the annual ETB Awards ceremony, held recently in Croke Park.

 Sinead continued: “We are delighted with this recognition, especially as it underlines a very positive initiative in which the support of our friends in the Tipperary Education Training Board was instrumental. As part of the HSE primary care services, our Substance Misuse Teams provide a wide range of supports and are actively engaged in ongoing awareness campaigns and drug education. Colleagues in our South Tipperary services, including outreach facilities in Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, and Tipperary Town, promote wellness and recovery, working to improve the overall quality of life for individuals and their families struggling with substance misuse.”

The ETBI Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding projects and collaborations within education and training across Ireland, recognising initiatives that foster innovation, inclusion, and community engagement. The success of the Clonmel horticultural programme reflects the dedication of both the HSE and the ETB in supporting individuals on their path to recovery through meaningful and therapeutic activities.

According to Sinead:

“Following the Substance Misuse Team’s relocation to a new centre on the HSE’s Western Road campus in Clonmel, the ETB supported efforts to mark out and develop allotments and poly-tunnels on the attached grounds. The ETB also, in including through its tutors onsite, supports art and photography, creative writing and mothers writing social therapeutic programmes.”

The Substance Misuse Service provides a free confidential service in the community, working with young people and adults who want support with a substance misuse related concern. The service also provides support to families and carers.

In recent years the project’s postcard garden was featured at the 2023 Bord Bia Bloom event in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, where it received a commendation and a letter of support from the President. The programme was also awarded a National AONTAS Star award last year, with a €1,000 prize. The Tipperary ETB invited the HSE’s Substance Misuse Service for South Tipperary to submit the Clonmel-based programme for the awards, resulting in a framed certificate and a €500 voucher prize.