€6,000 collected for Caitlin fund
AS THE FAMILY of the late Caitlin Davis began the most difficult journey of their lives yesterday, Monday, to bring her ashes to her native South Africa, the people of Bunclody gave her a heartfelt send off.
They donated a remarkable €6,000 to a street collection held by the local firefighters on Saturday in memory of the 17-year-old FCJ Bunclody student. The collection was organised to help send Caitlin home, and to set up a charity in her memory to train diabetic alert dogs.
Firefighter Richie Mahon enlisted the support of his colleagues to collect on the streets of Bunclody. ‘My daughter Clodagh knew Caitlin and she asked me could we do a fundraiser,’ he explained. He said they were overwhelmed by the support shown, and a sincere thank you was sent to all who supported the collection.
His thanks also went to Michael Ryan who provided four doves which were released at 1 p.m. by Caitlin’s parents Debbie and Andrew and her sisters Pippa and Olivia. A poem was read by Caitlin’s friend Colin Devlin at the small ceremony.
‘We thought maybe we would raise €1,000 to €1,500,’ said Richie. ‘I never thought we would raise so much. The good cause really hit home.’ He thanked all involved in the collection, and also Willie Kavanagh who donated signage.
Caitlin’s mother Debbie sent a heartfelt thank you to all who organised and supported the collection. ‘ Your love and thoughtfulness mean more to us than words can fully express,’ she said.