Pictured: Niki and Abbie Larkin. Photo courtesy Chris Andrews.
On Sunday July 10th, an Afternoon Tea Party extravaganza took place in Christchurch Hall, Sandymount Green in aid of Gaza Kids To Ireland Project.
It was held to raise money to bring Gaza children to Ireland, where they will meet other children to play football, games and have lots of fun.
For the children of Gaza, attacks and the siege of territory are real and ever present. This event was organised by Phil King who is well known in the local area. She is the former proprietor of Angel Inspiration Shop in Sandymount, and is now based in the Holistic Centre of Ireland Rathmines.
King is no stranger to raising funds for different charities, so when she heard that Gaza Action Ireland were trying to raise money to bring kids from Gaza to Ireland to give them respite from constant airstrikes, poverty and destruction, she came up with the great idea to hold an afternoon tea party. With the help of friends and colleagues it all came together on the day.
On the menu there was a delicious selection of finger sandwiches, homemade cakes, freshly baked bread and scones, tea, coffee, elderflower cordial and soft drinks. The children were kept entertained by the clown doing magic tricks, face painting and the balloon man making all kinds of wonderful animal shapes. All were appreciated and enjoyed by all in attendance. There was also a mini-market selling a great selection of jams, oils, herb dressing, delicious cakes and breads. Tarot card readings were also on offer.
Tickets were sold throughout the day for an amazing raffle in which a 32-inch TV, bike and several hampers of wine and chocolates including other great goody hampers were won. €2,400 was raised on the day.
A squad of children and some of their coaches from Al Helal will be travelling to Dublin, Limerick, Tipperary, and Antrim to play matches and games with other children.
There are also many outings planned for the under-14s football team, Viking Splash, Dublin Zoo, cinema, matches on Sandymount Strand, visiting heritage centres, museums and trips around the country.
I would personally like to thank some of the local businesses for their generosity in providing extra prizes for the raffle: The Old Spot, Clynes Butchers, The Bath Pub, Sober lane, The Vintage Inn, Farmer Brown’s, Lloyds Pharmacy and Hobart’s Coffee Shop of Ranelagh. A big thank you to all who came along and helped to make it a great day, especially the volunteers.
A special thank you to Councillor Chris Andrews who hosted the event and to Lady Mayoress Alice Larkin for opening it. And a special thanks to Phil King without whom none of this would have taken place if it was not for all her hard work, time and energy.
By Grainne McGuinness
