Tree of Hope raises £60,000 for charity

Carrickfergus Rotary Club president Billy Luney with representatives of groups who helped with the Tree of Hope, from left, Janette Sproule (Inner Wheel), Diane Strain (Action Cancer), Lynda Marshall (Childrens Hospice), Doreen Dobbs (Rotary and Action Cancer), Sam Crowe (Rotary), Karen Humphreys (Childrens Hospice) and John Richardson (Carrickfergus and District Mens Probus). INCT 12-701-CON

The impressive statistic was revealed as the club presented funding to three organisations following the annual festive season campaign.

Rotary President Billy Luney expressed his delight at being able to hand over substantial cheques to:

Karen Humphreys of the Carrickfergus Children’s Hospice support group;

Anne Ritchie, ‘Tesco Community Champion’, for Diabetes UK;

Diane Strain, chairman of the Carrickfergus branch of Action Cancer.

Each of the recipients thanked the club for its generous support.

The Tree of Hope was organised by Carrickfergus Rotarians Sam Crowe, Brenda Houston and Michael McCune and sited at Tesco’s Carrickfergus store in the two weeks before Christmas.

Mr Crowe thanked volunteers from Carrickfergus Inner Wheel, Carrickfergus Men’s Probus Club, Carrickfergus branch of Action Cancer, Carrickfergus Children’s Hospice support group and members of the community who helped to man the tree and collect.

In particular, Mr Crowe thanked the Minorca supermarket’s management and Anne Ritchie, Community Champion, who facilitated the venture.

Mr Crowe went on to praise the generosity of the people of the borough who, over the five years that club members have been organising the Tree of Hope, have donated over £62,000 to local charities which he described as “a magnificent level of giving”.