€7,500 raised in memory of Lenny
THE family of the late Arklow fisherman Lenny Hughes have paid tribute to his memory at a fundraising event in aid of Arklow RNLI.
The event took place recently at Jack White’s and raised a total of €7,500. Speaking to the Wicklow People, Lenny’s sister Lucy Hayes said that the family was overwhelmed with the level of support received.
‘It went far beyond our expectations. We had hoped to raise around €2,500 as it costs that much to send the Lifeboat out for eight hours. We had no idea how much it costs to send the Lifeboat for a day and it was out for three weeks searching for Leonard,’ Lucy said.
Arklow Lifeboat led an extensive search for Lenny after he was lost at sea last year.
The Hughes family hosted an auction on the night and also sold raffle tickets to raise as much money as they could.
‘My sisters went around to local businesses and they were so generous with their donations. We had an excellent attendance on the night as well,’ she added.
The Hughes family, including Lenny’s daughter Rebecca gathered at Arklow Lifeboat Station to hand over the proceeds last week.
‘We were very proud to have raised this money in memory of Leonard and it was a pleasure to hand it over to the Lifeboat volunteers in support of the great work they do,’ Lucy added.