WEST Belfast funnyman Paddy Raff has raised an incredible £24,000 for Friends of the Cancer Centre following the completion of his thirty-date tour across the North.
The funds were generated through generous audience donations at each show, with fans rallying behind the cause throughout the tour. Paddy, one of NI’s most popular comedians, made fundraising a central part of the run, using his platform to raise awareness and vital support for the charity, one that is very close to his heart.
For 40 years, Friends of the Cancer Centre has been dedicated to making a real and meaningful difference to cancer patients and their families across the North. The charity is here to enhance the quality of patient care and support through its life-changing and life-saving work, which includes funding additional nurses, supporting local research and providing practical support, such as financial grants, which help families through a difficult time. Friends of the Cancer Centre relies on the generosity of the local community and all money donated stays in the North, directly benefitting patients and their families.
Ana Wilkinson, chief executive of Friends of the Cancer Centre, said: “On behalf of everyone at Friends of the Cancer Centre, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Paddy for choosing to support the charity during his Here’s One For Ya! tour.
“Thanks to Paddy’s support and the generosity of the thousands of people who came to see his shows, an incredible sum of money was raised which will make a huge difference to families across Northern Ireland. For example, the money donated could fund 960 hours of care from one of the charity’s specialist nurses, providing families with the care and support they need, when they need it most.
“We would also like to say a special thank you to the charity’s wonderful volunteers and Paddy’s family and friends who collected at each show. We would not have been able to be part of such a unique fundraising opportunity without their support.”
Comedian Paddy Raff said: “I wanted to find a way to raise money for this incredible charity as a way of saying thank you for the support they’ve given my family over the past year. With online charity promotion becoming increasingly difficult, and a 30-date tour coming up, we invited the charity to collect with donation buckets and card readers at the end of each show, and I built a bit of promotion into the set. The wonderful volunteers told me they were overwhelmed by the generosity of the audiences at every gig. It gave the tour a real sense of purpose during a challenging time, and I’m hugely grateful to Friends of the Cancer Centre’s volunteers and my amazing fans for their donations, which have raised such a phenomenal amount. I’ve seen first-hand the vital work this charity does, and I hope these funds will help them continue providing the much-needed support they offer.”
If you would like to follow in Paddy’s footsteps and show your support for Friends of the Cancer Centre, you can donate online at www.friendsofthecancercentre.com or call 028 9069 9393.
