Carrickfergus groups thanked for enhancing the lives of others

A special event has been held in Carrickfergus to recognise the work of organisations enhancing the lives of others.
Back Row: Calum Clarke, Action on Hearing Loss; Jacqueline Robb, Christians Against Poverty; Rachael Creighton, Crossroads Care; Ryan Moffet, Uplift Performing Arts; Andrew Boal, Cancer Fund for Children.
Middle Row: Yvonne Carlton and Marie Rodgers, Brighter Whitehead; Gillian Mercer, Fields of Life; Karen McMeekin and Heather Garrett, One in Three Cancer Support. Front Row: Colin de Fleury, president and Jim Dunlop, immediate past president, Carrickfergus Rotary Club; Deborah McMahon, Fields of Life and Dawn Young, NI Hospice.Back Row: Calum Clarke, Action on Hearing Loss; Jacqueline Robb, Christians Against Poverty; Rachael Creighton, Crossroads Care; Ryan Moffet, Uplift Performing Arts; Andrew Boal, Cancer Fund for Children.
Middle Row: Yvonne Carlton and Marie Rodgers, Brighter Whitehead; Gillian Mercer, Fields of Life; Karen McMeekin and Heather Garrett, One in Three Cancer Support. Front Row: Colin de Fleury, president and Jim Dunlop, immediate past president, Carrickfergus Rotary Club; Deborah McMahon, Fields of Life and Dawn Young, NI Hospice.
Back Row: Calum Clarke, Action on Hearing Loss; Jacqueline Robb, Christians Against Poverty; Rachael Creighton, Crossroads Care; Ryan Moffet, Uplift Performing Arts; Andrew Boal, Cancer Fund for Children. Middle Row: Yvonne Carlton and Marie Rodgers, Brighter Whitehead; Gillian Mercer, Fields of Life; Karen McMeekin and Heather Garrett, One in Three Cancer Support. Front Row: Colin de Fleury, president and Jim Dunlop, immediate past president, Carrickfergus Rotary Club; Deborah McMahon, Fields of Life and Dawn Young, NI Hospice.

The Rotary Club of Carrickfergus hosted the meeting at which presentations were made to representatives of several local charities.

Immediate past president Jim Dunlop explained that thanks to the generosity of NK Group, which sponsored and organised a golf day in June for the benefit of the Carrickfergus club’s charity fund, it was in a significantly enhanced position to recognise and support a diverse range of groups working for the well-being of others.

Those receiving donations were: Ryan Moffet, Uplift Performing Arts; Deborah McMahon and Gillian Mercer, Fields of Life; Dawn Young, NI Hospice; Karen McMeekin and Heather Garrett, One in Three Cancer Support; Andrew Boal, Cancer Fund for Children; Calum Clarke, Action on Hearing Loss; Rachael Creighton, Crossroads Care; Jacqueline Robb, Christians Against Poverty; Marie Rodgers and Yvonne Carlton, Brighter Whitehead.

Rotarians Mary Sinnamon, Sydney Johnston, Anna Craig and Margaret Kerr enjoying the purple crocus spectacle.Rotarians Mary Sinnamon, Sydney Johnston, Anna Craig and Margaret Kerr enjoying the purple crocus spectacle.
Rotarians Mary Sinnamon, Sydney Johnston, Anna Craig and Margaret Kerr enjoying the purple crocus spectacle.

Each recipient expressed sincere gratitude and gave a brief description of how the money would be used to advance their work for the benefit of others in the community.

Mr Dunlop thanked NK Group for their support. He expressed his and the club members’ admiration for the work and commitment of all the groups represented and wished them continued success.

Meanwhile, a cause close to Rotary’s heart has been highlighted in colourful manner. In 2016 Rotarians celebrated the club’s 50th anniversary with a series of events, one of which was crocus planting. 2016 also marked the centenary of the Rotary Foundation, which is the organisations’s only charity. It operates worldwide on issues related to the advancement of peace, education and health. One of its best known projects is the drive to eliminate polio from the world. The purple crocus is a symbol for the campaign.

Club members planted almost 15,000 purple crocus bulbs in the town, most of them close to Governor’s Place. They are now blooming beautifully, providing a welcome splash of colour and reminding everyone of the drive to ‘End Polio Now’.