A HEARTH WARMING SUCCESS

The Post Polio Support Group’s World Polio Day Lunch on Friday, 17th October last was a tremendous success. With all the monies now in, the final tally is an incredible €25,378!

Thanks to the success of the event, we were able to allocate the full heating grant of €125 to those of our members who needed it last winter. I am sure all those who benefitted are very grateful for this much needed support.

Many of Ireland’s leading companies and business people supported the Lunch including Bord Gais, A & L Goodbody, CRH, NTR, Lagan Cement and Gaelectric. Guests from business sectors as diverse as media, horseracing, property, hospitality, technology and leisure attended.

Last year, for the first time, we secured an overall sponsor for the event. Davy Group contributed €10,000 towards the cost of hosting the event. This sponsorship catapulted the funds raised to a completely new level. We are very grateful to Davy Group for this invaluable support.

While the lunch was a serious fundraiser it was also a great afternoon’s entertainment.  Irish Pictorial Weekly’s Barry Murphy in the guise of renowned Bundesbank Economist, Dr. Günther Gruhn, hilariously took the guests to task for their extravagant ways. Barry was joined by author and comedian Colm O’Regan. Colm had his audience in stitches with his descriptions of unique Irish personalities and behaviour that we all recognised.

An enormous amount of effort and attention to detail goes into this events. Blaise O’Hara and her team of volunteers, Caroline Bergin, Kerry O’Donnell, Teresa Crowley, David Crowley, Ann Marie McRedmond, Clodagh Blake, Steve O’Kelly, Davnet O’Driscoll and Tom Skinner put in a tremendous amount of work to ensure the event was a complete success. Blaise and her team, Davy Group, businesses who provided products and spot prizes, and all the guests who attended, made an enormous contribution to ensuring vulnerable Polio Survivors stayed warm last winter.

The Post Polio Support Group is very grateful to all of them for their commitment and support to our members. A special thank you to Brown Thomas for sponsoring the goodie bags and for donating additional goodies. An additional special thank  you to Lisa Burns of ’Make Me Sparkle’ Westport Glass for donating 210 champagne flutes. A big gesture from a small, Irish business.

Additionally we would like to thank the following individuals/companies for donating so generously.

Goodie Bags

Brown Thomas, BEUTiFi.com, Butlers Chocolates, Marley Coffee Ireland, ‘Make Me Sparkle’ Westport Glass, Forever Living Ireland (Aloe Vera), Musgrave, Leech’s Pharmacy, Dunville Pharmacy, Irish Marketing Journal, RTE Guide.

Raffle

Forever Living, Findlaters, Aileen Good Pharmacy, Pizza E Porchetta,  G Male Grooming for Men, Shanahans on the Green, Gibson Hotel, April Restaurant, Asador Restaurant, Cinnamon, Davy’s Byrne’s, Trattoria Da Mario,The Exchequer Wine Bar, Smyths of Ranelagh, Brown Thomas, Trocadero Restaurant, Tribeca, Canal Bank Café, Irish Times, Urban Day Spa, La Reserve, Ballydoyle Stud.

Auction

Bellucci’s Restaurant, Four Seasons Hotel, Number 31 Boutique Town House, Liz Quin – Fashion Designer, Dromoland Castle, Ballyliffin Lodge Hotel + Spa, Cliff House Hotel.

Donations

Dunnes Stores, Total Produce, Fyffes, Musgrave, Anne Doyle, ESB, Brendan O’Donovan.