Five Little Blue Heroes given honorary status in ceremony

AN especially important ceremony was held at Tallaght Garda Station on July 18 when five Little Blue Heroes were recognised as honorary members of an Garda Síochana.

AJ Cullen Slevin, Tommy Dickson, Cillian Phibbs, Zoe Fitzgerald and Mia Carroll were awarded medals and received a certificate to confirm their status as honorary garda while their families watched on in pride.

Not every Hero could make it on the day, however, but Sgt Emer Lamon promised Jack Dennehy and Archie a special day down the line when they will gain the recognition they deserve.

Little Blue Heroes is a Garda Charity for children with serious illnesses and allows them to become honorary members of the force, with their own garda uniform and one-of-a-kind shoulder numbers.

To date, Tallaght Garda Station have 16 Little Blue Heroes who take their role as honorary gardaí very seriously, as Mia’s mother Sharon described;

“She thinks it’s brilliant that she’s involved in community policing nearly, and it’s given her such a confidence boost.”

She went on to explain the positive influence the organisation has on children who are friends with the Little Blue Heroes, saying:

“You don’t know what’s going on in other people’s lives, they could be afraid of the guards, but for them to see that Mia has been treated so well by the guards and being looked after, it filters into their lives as well.

“It’s not just the children that are being cared for, it’s everybody outside of that as well. Even her friends in school who see the guards calling to her house – they see it’s not always a bad thing.”

The initiative not only impacts on the lives of the children, but also is a great help to their parents, which was highlighted by Rebecca, whose son, Liam, graduated from the Little Blue Heroes last year.

“As parents, it’s huge peer support, it’s brilliant.

It’s knowing that any of us can throw a message into our group chat, and there is somebody there who’s going to either have been through it or be feeling the way that you’re feeling” she said.

Noreen, who is the mother of another Little Blue Hero, Cillian, emphasised her gratitude for the guards who went out of their way to include her two daughters who went along to the ceremony to support Cillian and got involved in all that the day offered.

“Cillian has two older sisters, and they really include them in everything, which is important because they’re navigating a journey too. For all of us parents – meeting Emer, and all the fellow Little Blue Heroes and the parents – it’s a great comfort for everyone” she said.

A point that was echoed by each of the mothers was the sense of community that the Little Blue Heroes organisation brings to every child and their family, and the chance for the children to switch off for the day.

“It is really just so special for them all to have a group of peers with their families are all going through the same stuff. It’s just so special for them all to be made feel so important and there’s almost a normality around it for the kids” Rebecca said.

An extra surprise was also in place for the Little Blue Heroes as Movies @ The Square invited each of the kids to a special screening of the latest sSpiderman movie later this month.

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