Una McGinley and her wife Patricia Strain spend a lot of time at their holiday cabin by the sea in Culdaff, Co Donegal.
Patricia has MS and needs a hoist on a daily basis. So when a spot of land came up for sale next to their site, the couple decided to buy it, and put their own cabin on it.
However, Una says, they thought about it again and felt that might be selfish because they already have all they need.
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So they decided instead to build a cabin fully equipped with hoists, airflow mattresses, a shower trolley and other facilities so that other families can enjoy a break away by the sea.
Una says that there is no place in Ireland where a family with someone who needs a hoist on a daily basis can book in for a holiday with their family and so families are often separated.
Una and Patricia set up a not-for-profit organisation called Hoist Away and, with great community support in Culdaff and Derry, they fund-raised and sourced Leader funding to make the holiday cabin a reality.
The Hoist Away cabin now gives people the opportunity to holiday together without having to bring a huge amount of equipment from home.
Una says that there is a great need in Ireland for facilities like this and she could fill the cabin five times over in the summer months. Her dream now is that there would be a Hoist Away holiday cabin in every province in Ireland.
Hoist Away is only available in the case of someone who needs an overhead hoist daily and Una can be contacted for bookings through the Hoist Away Facebook page.
