‘The charity just touched my heart so we started raising funds’
By Sarah Curran
A BANGOR man has helped raise £50,000 for a charity which organises trips to Lapland for children facing terminal or life-limiting illnesses.
When John Watt reached his 30th year of working at local business Focus Menswear back in 2020, he had hoped to mark the milestone by raising £30,000 for charity NI Children to Lapland.
Unfortunately his plans were dashed by the pandemic, meaning John was forced to put off his fundraising efforts until restrictions were eased.
However, earlier this month John’s plans finally came to fruition at the Clandeboye Lodge, when a successful charity gala ball was held in aid of NI Children to Lapland.
The glittering event, which was sponsored by Focus Menswear, invited local businesses near and far to enjoy a night of fun, with a number of great items up for auction including a five star cruise and a made-to-measure custom suit.
This was the second ball held for the charity in just 15 months, with John also undertaking a number of other fundraisers to boost the total handed to the charity.
On Monday, John was joined by Stephen Dumigan, the proprietor of Focus Menswear, as they handed a cheque totalling £50,000 to the charity’s chairman Colin Barkley and general manager Fiona Williamson.
Speaking about his fundraising efforts, John recalled how he began working at Focus Menswear at just 16 years-old in 1990 and has been passionate about his job ever since.
“When I was coming up to working for Focus for 30 years, I wanted a charity to basically raise money for and so the plan had been to raise £30k for 30 years,” John said.
By chance, John spoke about his plans with Colin Barkley, when he came into the shop to return a suit, who suggested his charity NI Children to Lapland.
“The charity just touched my heart and we started raising funds last year with a gala ball in the Clandeboye Lodge and we raised £17,000, getting us well on track,” John continued.
Fast forward 15 months, and John has more than reached his initial fundraising target after organising a second gala ball for the charity earlier this month, completing the Walk to Scotland for the charity last year, as well as other fundraising efforts in-between.
Raising £30,000 at his second gala ball, John said: “I can’t thank the local businesses enough that got involved. Last week went so well.”
John also added praise to Focus Menswear for supporting the event, emphasising the love and passion he has had for his job over the last 34 years.
“I am so happy and so chuffed for the charity. I am going to stay involved with the charity – it’s not one I am going to walk away from. I am going to help as much as I can,” John said, adding that he planned to complete the Walk to Scotland again on November 17.
John hopes to continue the charity gala balls in aid of the children’s charity, with plans to organise one every two years.
Speaking on behalf of the charity, Mr Barkley said the funds raised were ‘way above’ what they had expected and thanked everyone who had donated for their generosity, as well as John for his ‘dedication’ and ‘passion’.
“There are so many children that are worthy but when you talk about sick children it hits the heart strings a wee bit,” he said.
The NI Children to Lapland charity was founded in 2008 and ever since, it has helped create magical and unforgettable experiences for children facing terminal or life-limiting illnesses, bringing with them a full medical team of dedicated doctors and nurses.
With no government or lottery funding, the charity is entirely self-financed and so is completely dependent on the support of their corporate partners and fundraising events.
“We have been working with John and Focus for the last two years and their support has been incredible,” Mr Barkley added.
No stranger to fundraising, Focus Menswear owner Mr Dumigan said he was happy to support John in his endeavour, adding that it was ‘a pleasure to do’.
Focus Menswear has supported various charities in the last 40 years including Chest, Heart and Stroke, Parkinson’s, Diabetes Research and PIPS Suicide Prevention.
“We are a family run business and we were very happy to support John, certainly on a charity as good as what he had decided to support,” Mr Dumigan said.
“John is great. He is like one of the family, as most of my staff are. John gets a bee in his bonnet about a charity and he goes full blast.
“With the help of Colin and Fiona, they have delivered this and I would like to thank them for doing that. We were more than happy to support this charity.”