Blue Light night big hit
THERE was great excitement at St Patrick’s Special School recently as a fire engine and garda patrol cars rolled into the yard for a special presentation. Members of the Fire Service and An Garda Síochána and put in a heroic amount of fundraising recently as they squared off in the boxing ring at The Riverside Park Hotel for the second Blue Light Fight Night.
The event saw huge crowds in attendance and fantastic support from the local businesses and members of the general public and, while most of the excitement was reserved for the emergency vehicles in the yard on the day, there was also considerable excitement as the organisers handed over a cheque for a whopping €24,116.
Organisers were over the moon with the money raised on the night and they thanked everyone for their support of the venture. The first Blue Light Fight Night took place in 2013 and such was its success that it was decided a rematch was in order. A lot of hard work and training was put in by the participants before entering the ring and there were some great fights on the night, the fire crew ultimately coming out on top. Those behind the venture, both gardaí and fire crew, wished to thank everyone for their support and said that the event’s success was ‘only possible thanks to the amazing generosity from the entire community’.
Meanwhile, the money raised will come as a huge boost to St Patrick’s Special School, its staff and pupils and has already been set aside for a Hydrotherapy Pool in the new school building in Drumgoold on which construction is due to get underway very soon. Principal Lee Rogers was blown away with the efforts of the gardaí and fire service.
‘I was absolutely gob-smacked really,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t believe it when they told us the final figure. I went along on the night and it was brilliant. Fair play to the lads who got in the ring, because there were really no punches pulled.’
‘We’ve had a few fundraising events to go towards our hydrotherapy pool and this will bring us up to nearly €60,000 raised so far. The department won’t pay for a hydrotherapy school in the new building, but it will be of great help for students in wheelchairs, those with mobility issues, for physio and even sensory work.’
‘This is a huge step towards achieving that goal and we’re very grateful to all involved.’