School’s bungee jump for the Hope Foundation New base for music festival
VOLUNTEERS will be free-falling in Arklow this weekend as they help the staff and students of Gaelcholáiste na Mara on the way to their fundraising target.
A group from the school will travel to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in India later this year and are currently fundraising for The Hope Foundation ahead the trip.
Their latest endeavour is a bungee jump and fun day at Moneylands Farm from noon this Sunday, May 20. The fun day will start at noon and will feature almost 50 courageous volunteers jumping from a 160ft crane. Spectators are very welcome and encouraged to cheer them on. There are a few remaining slot left if anyone fancies taking the jump themselves.
The group will also be launching its grand raffle on the day, with fantastic prizes, including €500 cash, aSamsung Tablet valued at €350 and a signed rugby jersey.
Teacher Aaron Mac Fhionnlaoich and school secretary Fiona Redmond, along with eight students will be taking part in The Hope Foundation’s Schools Immersion Programme. The purpose of the programme is to give the young people a taste of voluntary work and what they can offer those less fortunate than themselves in developing countries, with the hope they will want to continue to volunteer in the future.
Through the Hope Foundation, the volunteers will work directly with the street children of Kolkata in the Hope Hospital, Shelter Homes, Dump Creches and on the streets. To faciliate the trip, the school must raise almost €25,000 in sponsorship.
All this money will go directly to the Hope Foundation and their projects in Kolkata. The group has raised over €12,000 since September and it is hoped that the bungee jump and fun day will add to this total. THERE was good news for Arklow Music Festival in recent days as the volunteer group was offered a new office space, just days before being made effectively homeless.
The group was in desperate need of a new premises as their former base at Sunbeam House Services/Arklow Visual Arts Gallery was no longer available.
Music Festival PRO Tony Fennell said that the group was very concerned that it would have nowhere to operate from, but following their callout to the community, received a number of very generous offers.
‘We needed somewhere rentfree and suited to an office space. The festival is a not for profit event so there are no funds available to pay rent. We were hoping the community would come to our aid and it did,’ he said.
Businesspeople Ian and Sheila Kearon of Kearon’s Hardware, Castlepark came to the rescue and made a premises available to the committee in their building.
‘The location could not be better, and we are very grateful to the Kearons for their generous offer. We received very kind offers from a number of people in the town and we would like to acknowledge that and to say thank you to those people as well,’ Mr Fennell said.
It is all systems go now for the 50th Arklow Music Festival which will take place next spring.