Sarah has achieved the prestigious Gold Gaisce, The President’s Award. Read her story.
Sarah is a recipient of the prestigious Gold Gaisce. Only 50 people in Ireland achieve the President’s Award each year.
As a wheelchair user, Sarah found ways to adapt the challenges to suit her own abilities while still meeting the award's rigorous criteria.
"Only around 50 people in the whole of Ireland complete the Gold Gaisce each year.
Along the way, I’ve learnt new skills, given back to the community, and pushed myself further than I thought possible.
My name is Sarah, and I am a Life With No Limits Champion.
My motto is: dream, believe, achieve
The President’s Award is something my brother did in school. When I saw him complete it, I thought I could do it too.
I love a challenge.
I worked with The President’s Award to see how I could complete the challenge areas in ways suited to my own abilities.
For my adventure journey, I couldn’t go away for two nights as usually required, so I focused on exploring different parts of the Limerick Greenway and seeing how accessible they are.
The distance of my treks was determined by my wheelchair’s battery – each return trip had to be 10km in total. I didn’t want to get stuck on the Greenway with no battery! There were some other barriers, like gates, which, if I’d been by myself, I wouldn’t have been able to open. So, I was grateful for the support of my parents, who went with me."
"My favourite challenge area was my residential project. I decided to raise funds for a local charity through a charity cycle. I completed the distance using my Motomed bike. My cousin did the challenge with me, which kept me motivated. I love a bit of competition, so I wanted to beat the cycle group’s time each day. With some solid techno beats to pedal to, I was happy to beat the target every day!
Community Involvement was also a rewarding part of the Gaisce. While I was studying at Mary Immaculate College, I was a class rep. I worked with students to ensure we were all represented in college decisions. Another part of my community involvement was litter picking. It felt great to give back to my community and tidy up the streets.
Of course, a real highlight of completing the Gold Gaisce was meeting the President, Catherine Connolly. She presented me with my medal; I had my photo taken with her, and we got to talk a small bit. I even made it on the news!"
"Now I’ve completed the Gold Gaisce, my next goal is to go back to college and complete a Level 4 Certificate in General Learning and Development at Mary Immaculate. After that, I’m keen to go on and do the Level 6 Certificate at TUS Limerick. I’d also love to learn how to DJ. I love music and creating Instagram reels when I go to concerts. My ideal job would be video editing. Watch this space!
My advice for anyone thinking of doing the Gaisce is to go for it and keep at it. Regardless of your abilities, the Gaisce challenges can be adapted so you can complete them if you’re ready to commit your time and effort.
Completing the Gold Gaisce has shown me that with determination, support, and a willingness to challenge yourself, you can achieve more than you ever imagined. I hope my journey encourages others to set big goals and believe in their abilities. Living with a disability doesn't mean lowering your ambitions. It means finding your own path forward and proving that anything is possible when you embrace a life with no limits."
