Fundraising frenzy!

The day is close...... only 2 more sleeps until triciafest2!! Six local rock bands playing live in a wee club in Ahoghill. 1901, Lo Mejor, The Bonnevilles, Nasa Assassin, Trucker Diablo and Fragment...... All playing for sandwiches... literally. Venue generously provided free of charge again by the Diamond Rock Club, including door and bar staff. Amazing raffle prizes donated by a wealth of generous people and businesses. For the second year in a row I am genuinely humbled by peoples’ generosity.  There’s only a couple of days to go so if you haven’t given already then please feel free to give us some of your hard earned cash at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/triciafest2  

Every penny goes to Macmillan Cancer Care.

It’s been a pretty amazing day all round. My day off work was spent enjoying breakfast with my rock of a husband before doing a 3 hour shift holding a donation bucket for Macmillan in Marks and Spencer. People put so much money in it that I had to balance the bucket on boxes of mangoes to stop my arm from being bruised by the bucket handle!! That can only be a good thing. I got through two rolls of stickers and heard so many people tell me of their experiences of cancer. It was a stark reminder of the local statistics...... According to research carried out on behalf of the NI Assembly (back when they were still speaking to each other...) “By 2020, almost one in two people [in NI] will get cancer at some point in their lives.”

While politicians bicker and take wages for a job not done, public services struggle, relying more and more heavily on charities to fill funding and resourcing voids. If standing sharing stories and kind words with people for 3 hours helps then I’m happy to do my little bit. 

After that we were off to the hospital to show them the sketches for the wall murals to be hand painted onto the walls of the family room that’s being refurbished from last year’s triciafest fundraising. The artist is amazing and his Wind in the Willow sketches made me cry with joy. They are perfect and I am more excited than ever to see it all done in the hopefully not too distant future. I’ll be sure to post up photos when it’s all done!

Preparing for the gig has been tiring but it’s going to be so worth it. We’re making a difference. In our own wee way.......our fantastic friends and family are helping local cancer patients and their families. You guys are fantastic; organisers, prize givers, band members, raffle ticket buyers, donators, gig goers, bar and club staff....... thank you. I love you lot (and I don’t even drink anymore so this isn’t a drunk post lol!!) xxxx