IRIS MARKS 100TH WITH FUNDRAISER
THE drive and enthusiasm of one local woman remains undiminished despite the fact she turned 100 in March.
Iris Dungan, who lives in Monart, opened her garden to raise money for charity on her 90th and 95th birthdays. She planned to open it up again on June 28, to mark her 100th birthday, however, the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to those plans.
Her son, Graham, said the forced cancellation of the event had caused his mum ‘considerable disappointment’.
However, not to be defeated Iris and her family have set up a website, www. greatgrandmasgarden.com, through which the planned fundraising drive this year can still go ahead. They have set up a gofundme page with the website and also a corporate page for donations in excess of €250.
A great-grandmother, Iris opened her garden in her 90th year to raise money for the local church and also for County Wexford Community Workshop in Enniscorthy.
That fundraiser was a great success and such was her delight at how it went that she repeated the exercise for her 95th birthday, by which time the garden had been further extended.
‘June 28, was the date earmarked for her third open garden but with the circumstances this has not been possible,’ said Graham. ‘ The hope is to raise funds first and have the garden open when possible and so the website, www.greatgrandmasgarden. com, has been set up with a gofundme link.’
Graham went on to say that Iris’s target is to raise €5,000. ‘ That would equate to 500 people giving €10,’ he said.
‘ This, or a message of support would be a help to Iris, who is so fortunate to have the lovely surroundings of her garden but lacks the social contact that she is accustomed to.’
Visitors to the website can take a virtual tour of the garden, which boats an impressive range of flowers, plants and vegetables.
Iris and her late husband, Victor, tended the garden when they retired to Monart in 1984. Victor passed away 10 years later and since then looking after the garden has been a daily passion for Iris.
The support of the general public with the fundraising drive will be very much appreciated. The money raised from the initiative will go towards the local church and County Wexford Community Workshop.