Christmas Abroad: 'I especially miss Athlone at this time of year'

For our annual feature on local people who won't be home for Christmas, Adrian Cusack compiled interviews with people from the greater Athlone area who are spending the festive season in Canada, England and Australia. Here is our interview with Valerie Feniuk:

Athlone native Valerie Feniuk is based in England with her husband and family. She is married to former Athlone Town footballer Stefan Feniuk, who joined the club from Stoke City in 1978 and was a key member of the Town's league-winning teams in the early 1980s.

Where are you from originally and how long have you been based in England?

I come from Iona Park, and we moved to Shoreham-by-Sea, Brighton, almost 40 years ago. I still miss my home town, especially at this time of year.

What are your plans for Christmas this year?

We will be in the UK for Christmas, and wishing we were in Athlone with my family. But we have our family here, and our grandchildren, and we plan to spend Christmas with them.

Is there any message you'd like to send to friends or family reading this?

I'd like to wish all my Conroy family a great Christmas, and I wish all of my family and friends all the very best for the new year.