St Paul’s pupils have raised over €10,000

More than €10,000 has been raised over the past decade by the pupils of St Paul’s national school in Drogheda through Christmas carol singing.

And the Rathmullan pupils have consistently donated the money to the local branch of the Alzheimer Society for its building fund.

The branch is striving to raise the €800,000 needed to provide a new Day Care Centre for the area.

St Paul’s has been a great friend to the branch in recent years, organizing several fund-raising events.

At a presentation ceremony at the 460-pupil school at the weekend, they handed over a cheque for €2,450 to the branch.

School principal, Ms Mary Stephenson, and teacher Niall Boyle, who conducts the choir, were on hand for the event. Among the past pupils who have gone on from the choir to perform with distinction are soprano, Amie Dyer, and Leah Corcoran.

Ann Shortt, who heads the branch’s fund-raising committee, said : ‘’ The school has been very good to us. We are deeply grateful to the pupils for their superb efforts over Christmas for many years’’.

About 70 of the pupils aged between eight and 12 took part in the Carol singing over two days at Christmas. They gathered at the school hall to hear Ms Shortt thank them personally for their fund-raising initiative

She also explained about the effects of Alzheimer’s on families and how the incidence of The disease was spreading not just to the elderly but to people as young as 50.

She told the children how the branch was redoubling its efforts to provide a new Tredagh Lodge centre for the town.