MAYOR CONGRATULATES LILIES ON THE LOUGH
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Cllr Patricia Logue today welcomed the Lilies on the Lough sailing group to the Guildhall, along with representatives of Children in Crossfire, to celebrate their recent ‘Sail around Ireland’ fundraiser.
Cllr Logue said:
“It was a pleasure for me to welcome the Lilies on the Lough and Children in Crossfire to the Mayor’s Parlour. I congratulate them on their recent sail around Ireland, which is a major achievement, and on their outstanding fundraising efforts. It’s great to see a group of women getting together to do something they love – and better still that they undertook a great challenge for a wonderful cause as part of that.
“I know that Children in Crossfire do terrific work internationally. It was inspiring to hear that the money the Lilies have raised will be spent on building two new wells in Ethiopia, which will be truly life-changing for a great many vulnerable children and families.”
Chief Executive of Children in Crossfire, Richard Moore added:
“We are deeply grateful to the Lilies on the Lough and pay tribute to them on their sail. I know from speaking to them that conditions were difficult throughout, but they kept going and people kept donating. To date, almost £20,000 has been raised, with more still to come. That is very much worth celebrating and we are grateful to the Mayor, Councillor Logue for hosting this event.
“Children in Crossfire will now build two new wells in rural Ethiopia, which will transform the lives of thousands of people for years to come. A safe, clean water supply is something we here take for granted as a basic right. The Lilies’ project will bring safe, clean water into two villages for the first time, helping to prevent the spread of disease and ensuring children there can grow up healthy.”
Pictured Children in Crossfire CEO, Richard Moore, Mayor Patricia Logue and Lilies on the Lough Shauna O’Neill
On behalf of Lilies on the Lough, Shauna O’Neill said:
“Our sail was great fun, but also a huge challenge. We endured rough seas and bad weather most of the time, but we kept our spirits high by keeping in mind the two communities we will be supporting. We can’t wait to see progress made on this now and look forward to seeing the impact these wells make in the months and years ahead.”
Core Lilies on the Lough members for the sail were Shauna O’Neill, Rita Heaney, Anna McKeever and Breidge Boyle. They set sail from Fahan Marina on Saturday 8th July and returned there on Sunday 23rd. Accompanying them on some legs of their sail were Derek Burns, Katie Clarke, Leonie Conway, Philip Gormley and Sean O’Neill.
To donate to their fundraiser, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/childrenincrossfire-sail-around-ireland