An Armagh family has raised more than £15,000 for two charities after bringing the local community together for a family fundraising day at Drumgar Poultry.
The Gardiner family raised a total of £15,097, with £7,548.50 donated to Air Ambulance NI and the same amount going to FAME (Friends of Africa Missionary Endeavour Limited), which runs the FAME Child Rescue Centre in Kenya.
The money will support two very different causes: life-saving emergency medical care in Northern Ireland and care for vulnerable children in Kenya.
A family day out with a fundraising purpose
The event at Drumgar Poultry offered activities and attractions for visitors of all ages. Families could visit a petting farm featuring goats, ponies, spotted Dutch sheep and pedigree Zwartbles sheep.
There was also face painting, bouncy castles, an obstacle course, a giant slide and a pedal tractor course, creating a day out designed for children and adults alike while raising money for the two charities.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Julie Gardiner said: “It means so much to our family to be able to support two organisations that make such a significant difference to people’s lives, both here in Northern Ireland and further afield in Kenya. “We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts.. The generosity and kindness shown by our local community has been truly overwhelming, and we are incredibly proud that the money raised will help Air Ambulance NI continue its life-saving work and support the incredible care provided by FAME to vulnerable children in Kenya.”
How the Air Ambulance NI donation will help
Air Ambulance NI operates the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service for Northern Ireland in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. The service provides urgent medical assistance across the province seven days a week, operating for 12 hours each day.
Its medical team attends patients who are seriously ill or injured, taking emergency pre-hospital care directly to casualties with the aim of saving lives, brains and limbs. The aircraft can reach anywhere in Northern Ireland within 25 minutes.
The service is called out, on average, twice a day to incidents including serious road collisions, farm or workplace accidents, sport and leisure incidents and serious medical emergencies.
Bébhionn Hardy, Community Fundraising Coordinator at Air Ambulance NI, thanked the Gardiner family and everyone who contributed. She said the money would help the charity continue providing critical emergency care and keep the service available when needed.
How residents can support the charity
Air Ambulance NI says public donations are crucial as it aims to raise £3 million each year to maintain and sustain its service. One way to support the charity is through Club AANI, which offers monthly or annual subscriptions.
Patients or families who have been touched by the Air Ambulance NI service can visit its airbase by contacting the charity on 028 9262 2677. Further information is available at airambulanceni.org, while the charity can also be contacted by email at [email protected].