A PHENOMENAL ACHIEVEMENT!
GOREY’S GENEROSITY IS HAILED AS PHENOMENAL AS MONTHS OF HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR WORTHY LOCAL CAUSE
OSCARZ FUNDRAISER RAISES €131,753 FOR ST AIDAN’S SERVICES
FOLLOWING months of fundraising and preparations, the Gorey Oscarz gala event thrilled a huge audience as a community of all ages packed the ballroom at the Amber Springs Hotel to see a total of €131,753 raised for St Aidan’s Services.
MC Patrick McDonnell introduced the seven films, starting with Sister Act and ending with The Shawshank Redemption, which had some noticeable characters and familiar scenes to everyone’s delight, but the The Snapper came out with ‘best movie’ overall.
This result of this large-scale fundraiser will see a fleet of new buses purchased for the service, and Cllr Diarmuid Devereux said that the effort has not only raised money but awareness about the role St Aidan’s plays in the Gorey community.
‘People say that Gorey is a very generous town and this just proves it, it’s phenomenal,’ he said.
MONTHS of fundraising and preparations came together last Saturday as a community of all ages packed the ballroom of the Amber Springs Hotel to witness the conclusion of the Gorey Oscarz in aid of St Aidan’s Services.
And the night certainly didn’t disappoint, as organisers announced that an incredible €131,753 had been raised for St Aidan’s.
Large golden Oscar-style statues adorned the room as the capacity crowd were first shown a video of the important work that St Aidan’s does.
Chairperson of St Aidan’s Services Cllr Diarmuid Devereux said that the community has learned a lot from this large-scale fundraiser which will see a fleet of new buses purchased for service users.
‘The purpose of the Oscarz was not just about raising money but about raising awareness about what St Aidan’s is.
‘It’s a huge operation, people come in and have their dinner, we take people with intellectual disabilities and there’s a children’s crèche, there’s no age limit.
‘Everybody in Gorey now knows about St Aidan’s and what we do in terms of changing the destiny of people, bringing on the ability that people have to a new level of perfection. The care, patience, love and the attention that service users get in St Aidan’s is what makes the atmosphere so wonderful.
‘People say that Gorey is a very generous town and this just proves it, it’s phenomenal. This would not have happened without the five person committee that we put together, I can’t praise them enough,’ he said.
MC on the night was Patrick McDonnell, well-known for playing the character of Eoin McLove in Father Ted, and throughout the night he introduced the seven films, starting with Sister Act and ending with The Shawshank Redemption.
Laughter was the order of the night amongst the glamorous crowd, as well-known faces from councillors to coal men to photographers popped up in scenes throughout the seven movies.
Judges gave their feedback after every film but ultimately it was the audience who got the final say, and in the end the oscar for best movie went to ‘The Snapper’.
A number of individual awards were also handed out on the night.