Following a record-breaking number of votes (almost 30,000) received from parents and families throughout Ireland, maternity & infant magazine is delighted to announce the winners of the third annual maternity & infant Awards. The awards were presented at a gala luncheon on November 12th in The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin hosted by TV3’s Martin King and Sybil Mulcahy.

This year, the Benhaffaf family from Cork were awarded the Special Merit Award for the outstanding courage and bravery shown by the whole family during Angie’s pregnancy, the birth of conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein and the successful operation to separate them. The Benhaffaf family were in attendance to receive their award and tell their story of their “Little Fighters”, of how well Hassan and Hussein are progressing and what the future holds for the little boys.

An emotional Angie Benhaffaf was very grateful, saying: “This special maternity & infant award means so much to us. It’s like a bright light at the end of a very difficult year! It’s hard to imagine this time last year it was thought that our two little boys wouldn’t survive to birth, and yet here they are 11 months on and they are so full of the joys of life.

“We know they still have many challenges ahead of them, but with their little fighting spirit and the Irish nation behind them, anything is possible. I know this award is for our family, but I want to accept this award on behalf of everyone who helped us through the past year. Thank you all on behalf of Hassan and Hussein.”

The maternity & infant Awards celebrate the very best in products, services and people as voted by parents and market consumers nationwide. Of the 25 awards, 14 were presented to the most inspiring people living amongst us in Irish society, honouring parents, grandparents, child heroes, babies, midwives, nurses and more with some very touching stories involved.

Commenting on the event and the magazine, Susan Grant, Events Director of Ashville Media Group, said: “As a magazine for parents, we feel our readers are in the best possible position to vote for the products and the people who enhance their lives and make the tough job of parenting that little bit easier. Through maternity & infant magazine we endeavour to provide new mums with self-confidence and encouragement as they travel through each stage of parenthood, from conception, pregnancy and birth, through to the infant, toddler and child years.”

MATERNITY & INFANT AWARD WINNERS 2010

SPECIAL MERIT AWARD: The Benhaffaf family, Cork
Angie, her husband Azadeen, her daughters Malika and Iman and twin boys Hassan and Hussein showed immense strength and courage through an extremely traumatic period. The family’s outstanding bravery during the successful operation to separate the conjoined twins has made them worthy winners of the Special Merit Award.

BABY STORY OF THE YEAR: Padraig O’Callaghan, Limerick
Brian and Marie O’Callaghan experienced many obstacles in their attempts to conceive their ‘miracle’ baby boy. Their son Padraig (now seven months old) battled to survive and his is our Baby Story of the Year.

MUM OF THE YEAR: Kim Burnett, Dublin
Being a mum is a tough but rewarding job. However, add eight children, illness and adversity into the mix and that job becomes more than just a labour of love. Our thoroughly deserving Mum of the Year is 33-year-old Kim Burnett.

DAD OF THE YEAR: Eamon Mulqueen, Dublin
After being made redundant when his daughter was just six months old, Eamon took the entrepreneurial plunge and set up his own business. Working extremely long hours to support his family, Eamon goes the extra mile to be the best dad he can be.

YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR: Zak Collins (6), Ballincollig, Co. Cork
The golf prodigy has represented Ireland at one of America’s finest competition courses in which he finished 36th in the under six section of the US Kids Golf World Championship.

GRANDPARENT OF THE YEAR: Margaret Hickey, Limerick
Margaret Hickey put her family first at a time when her grandson Christian was very ill. She took unpaid leave from work to keep a bedside vigil at Christian’s side – sleeping on the floor beside his cot, despite having osteoarthritis – and has been has been of great strength to her family.

CHILD HERO OF THE YEAR: Adelina Corigliano, Co. Cork
Adelina Corigliano epitomises everything we look for in our Child Hero of the Year, and more. Ten-year-old Adelina was first diagnosed with cancer in May 2007, aged seven. She and her family have raised over €40,000 for cancer research through fundraising events.

LITTLE CHAMPION OF THE YEAR: Grace Dill, Galway
At the tender age of just ten, Grace Dill put her surf lifesaving skills to good use on a family holiday abroad that could well have ended in tragedy but for her quick thinking and bravery when she saved a little boy from drowning.

NURSE OF THE YEAR: Breda Moran, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital
This year’s worthy winner of Nurse of the Year has dedicated her life to caring for sick children in the A&E Department at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. She has been praised for her kindness, hard work ethic and insight into the lives of children.

PAEDIATRICIAN OF THE YEAR: Dr Jan Militen, Dublin
Whether it’s being supportive and compassionate or going above and beyond the call of duty, Dr Militen from the Coombe Women’s Hospital is recognised for his care and attention towards his little patients and their families.

MIDWIFE OF THE YEAR: Bernadette Loughnane, University Maternity Hospital Cork
Caring, supportive, compassionate and encouraging are just some of the words used to describe this year’s recipient of the maternity & infant Midwife of the Year Award, Bernadette Loughnane.

OBSTETRICIAN OF THE YEAR: Dr Hugh O’Connor, Coombe Women’s Hospital, Dublin
He has brought many children safely into the world while still maintaining a level of attentiveness and professionalism towards his patients that is second to none. Dr O’Connor is one of the most highly recommended obstetricians in the country, and women return again and again to his clinic for second, third and even fourth pregnancies.

BUSINESS PARENT OF THE YEAR: Adrian Devane, Galway
Aidan Devane set up his own company, Bábógbaby Limited, earlier this year, which aims to provide tools and toys for toddlers, children and parents to learn those first cúpla focal. A genuinely unique idea, Bábógbaby also launched its first product this year – BB, the world’s first Irish speaking teddy bear.

SWEETEST MOMENT OF THE YEAR: Lola and Dylan Smyth, Dublin
Lola and Dylan will feature on the cover of the January/February 2011 issue of maternity & infant.

Car Seat of the Year: Maxi-Cosi

Baby/Infant Food of the Year: Aptamil Follow On

Nappy of the Year: Pampers

Buggy of the Year: Maclaren

Breastfeeding Product/Range of the Year: Lansinoh

Feeding Product/Range of the Year: Philips Avent

Baby Skincare Product/Range of the Year: Sudocrem

Health/Medicinal Product of the Year: Calpol

Baby Store of the Year: Mothercare

Most Family-Friendly Website: Eumom.com

Most Family-Friendly Holiday Provider: Falcon Holidays

Most Family-Friendly Day Out: Dublin Zoo

Environmentally-Friendly Product/Range of the Year: Ecobaby

Grand Prix Award: Pampers
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The shortlist for the Magazines Ireland Irish Magazine Awards 2010 has been announced and Ashville Media Group is delighted to be nominated for a whopping total of 17 awards!

The nominations are:
• Publishing Company of the Year
• Consumer Magazine of the Year (less than 15,000 circulation):
   maternity & infant
• Customer Magazine of the Year:
   Health Matters
   Irish Wildlife
   Zoo Matters
• Annual of the Year:
   Maternity
   Room to Improve
   Tourism Ireland International Promotional Brochures
   Trinity Today
• Designer of the Year (Consumer Magazine):
   Maria O’Rourke (Maternity)
   Geraldine Dunne (maternity & infant)
   Michelle Martin (Irish Wildlife/Zoo Matters)
• Photographer of the Year:
   Andrew Kelly (Irish Wildlife)
   Joanne Murphy (maternity & infant)
   Ros Kavanagh (Room to Improve)
• Magazine Front Cover of the Year – Consumer:
   Irish Wildlife
   maternity & infant

The complete list of nominees can be viewed on the Magazines Ireland website. Winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony in the Four Seasons Hotel on December 2nd 2010. After coming home with three awards under our belt last year, Ashville are sure to have a successful and memorable night… fingers crossed![fb_like]

The Digital Media Awards 2011 were officially launched on August 25th and we are happy to welcome our partner, Satellite Broadband Ireland, who will be headlining the event again next year.

The Awards, now in their ninth year, recognise and reward the most stylish, creative, and pioneering work within the digital media industry in Ireland. With the addition of three new categories reflecting changes and new trends in digital media, next year will see a total of 23 categories awarding the innovation and talent of individuals and companies in areas including Viral Marketing, User Experience, Best App, Financial Services, Animation, Digital Advertising, e-Learning and Best Agency.

Award winners will be unveiled at a gala black-tie event, hosted by RTÉ Prime Time’s Mark Little, on Friday February 11th 2011 in the iconic surrounds of the Convention Centre Dublin.

The Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards 2011 are also supported by the Digital Hub, Eset, Nua Design, Regus, Samsung, Webfactory and Sony Ericsson. Judges announced include Aileen O’Toole of AMAS Consulting, Ricky Kelley of Facebook and Krishna De of BizGrowth. Log on to www.digitalmedia.ie for more information.[fb_like]

Ashville Media is delighted to be working with Trócaire on publishing their 2011 Lenten materials and education packs for schools throughout the country. Trócaire passionately believes that teachers and educators play a crucial role in informing young people about development issues, but mobilising primary and secondary school students to bring about global change can be challenging.Through engaging with students and teachers alike, we have devised a bespoke print media pack designed to ignite young people’s interest in global crises. The new school packs will be distributed across the country in advance of Trócaire’s Lenten campaign with the aim of encouraging young people across Ireland to take part.

We are looking forward to working with Trócaire on this new project and monitoring how the media packs engage with students in primary and secondary schools both north and south.

For more information on Trócaire education resources, visit their website.[fb_like]