Charity footie game raises £12k in memory of Paul
Money will help suicide awareness
An annual football tournament has raised over £12,500 for suicide awareness charity Chris’s House.
The Paul Fagan Memorial Cup was held last weekend and organisers hailed it a huge success.
Since the first event in 2017, over £34,000 has now been raised for suicide awareness.
Over 100 men from all over Lanarkshire pulled on their football boots at Keir Hardie Sports Centre in Motherwell last Saturday to raise vital funds for Chris’s House.
Paul’s 28-year-old son Liam decided two years ago to start raising money and awareness for the charity in memory of his father, who he lost to suicide in June 2008 aged 40.
On the anniversary of his passing, Liam, along with family and friends, organises The Paul Fagan Memorial Cup as well as an evening event of raffles, auctions, live music and a disco.
During the day, the event is not just about football, however. While the tournament is in full swing, there is also a family fun day with a bouncy castle, an inflatable assault course, face painting, a DJ and a tuck shop.
The action then moved on to Club 100 at night, with 300 people turning out.
Money was raised through raffle prizes including a five-star holiday, with all of the prizes being donated from local businesses.
Liam Fagan said: “We raised over £12,000 this year, and we can’t thank everyone enough for their generosity in donating to us again for the third year.
“Together as a team and as a community we have raised over £34,000 for suicide awareness. Not only is that massive for a local charity like Chris’s House, the awareness is also huge. A lot of the boys have been approached by family members, friends, work colleagues and more to get information on how they can contact Chris’s House for help and that, for us, is the main aim.
“We can’t save everyone’s life, it would be naive to think that, but if the message is reaching out to one person at a time then that is our main goal.”
He added: “We would like to thank our sponsors this year, Minster Cleaning Services, Martin Daly Builders, Chris Muldoon Barbers and Omar Premiere.
“We would also like to thank Strathclyde Park Country Park for the amazing donations this year and Lanarkshire Aesthetics.
“To all the other companies and people who donated personally, thank you. Without the help from these people, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
Chris’s House, based in Wishaw, is the ‘Centre for Help, Response and Intervention Surrounding Suicide’ and the first 24-hour, non-medical crisis centre in Scotland with integrated support.
It was founded by Anne Rowan, a Wishaw mum with a passionate vision for a crisis centre and was established in memory of her son Chris, whom she lost to suicide in 2011 at the age of 36.
Last month, Liam and his pals took part in the Walk of Hope, organised by Chris’s House, which saw hundreds of walkers set off from the Glasgow Science Centre to pay tribute to those who have taken their own lives, and to raise money in the process.
For further information about Chris’s House, call 01236 766755 or email info@ chrisshouse.org.