RCSI hosted its annual Christmas lunch for senior citizens of the local community on Tuesday, 2 December.

This lunch has been held in the College for more than 25 years for senior citizens living in the catchment area of RCSI. The event is organised by the REACH (Recreation Education And Community Health) RCSI programme, supported voluntarily by RCSI staff and is sponsored by the College. The festivities began at 1pm and continued for the rest of the afternoon in the College Hall.

More than 100 senior citizens aged between 60 to 90 years of age attended the Christmas lunch which included a festive fun-filled afternoon with music, singing, dancing and a grand raffle. Guests sat down to their Christmas lunch, after which were treated to an afternoon of music and dancing, with music from Mick Doherty.

The grand raffle featured some great prizes such as Christmas hampers, gift vouchers and gift boxes among many more. Donors of these prizes include Kylemore, Walls to Workstations, One4All and St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.

Speaking on the annual Christmas lunch, Maria Kelly, REACH RCSI Manager, said: “This event really does mark the beginning of Christmas at the College every year. It is a fantastic event to have at RCSI and it is a long-standing tradition that we are proud of. The REACH programme and staff of RCSI who organise this event do so voluntarily and they very much enjoy giving something back to the local community.”

The REACH RCSI programme was established in 2007 to encourage and facilitate third level participation and enhance the life chances for those traditionally underrepresented at third level, particularly those from Dublin's south inner city.