Fundraiser celebrating life of late Claudy woman raises more than £5k for charity

A fundraising night which was held in memory of a Claudy woman has raised more than £5,000 for a cancer charity.

The event, which was held in early December, was organised to remember the life of the late Claire Harkin-Barron, who sadly passed away in April 2020 after bravely battling cancer.

Due to the Covid pandemic and restrictions imposed by the government at that time, family members were unable to hold a wake or proper funeral for the devoted mother and grandmother (pictured below).

This made the recent charity night even more meaningful as it served as a celebration of her life. It was held on what would have been Claire's 60^th birthday.

Claire's daughter, Charmaine Murphy, and her sister Anne had been planning the event for more than a year and decided to donate all funds raised to Cancer Research UK, a charity which was particularly close to Claire's heart.

McKeever's Bar generously hosted the event free of charge and entertainment on the night was provided by Stephen McKeever, with a DJ continuing the celebrations afterwards.

Fundraising efforts were extremely successful with a total amount of £5,276.40 raised for the charity.

Charmaine's husband Declan raised £1,000 through a 'Pick a Box' fundraiser while Claire's friend Rosemary O'Kane's bonus ball raffle brought in £600. A very generous donation of £2,000 was made by family friend Kevin Rouse.

Food for the event was provided by O'Kane Meats in Claudy with Kieran O'Kane kindly covering the cost.

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A raffle, organised by Declan Murphy and Megan Harkin, took place on the night with local businesses and individuals donating wonderful prizes which the family are very grateful for.

Claire's family recently presented a cheque to the charity with her daughter Charmaine saying her mum would be 'proud'.

“Mum would be incredibly proud of her family and friends for raising such an amount in her memory,” she said.

“We would like to thank everyone who attended on the night and to all those who contributed in any way to making the event such a success.”