Hill 16 – one of Macra na Feirme’s top clubs in Co. Dublin – is set to hold its annual fundraiser tonight, Wednesday, November 20, in aid of Hugh’s House charity and the northside club.
The charity, located in the city centre, provides ‘home-from-home’ accommodation to the families of children that are long-term in-patients at Temple Street Children’s Hospital, The National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street, The Coombe Hospital and The Rotunda Hospital.
The service – which operates all year round – was established by Ade Stack and Martin Curley, from Malahide, in May 2015, in memory of their son, Hugh.
Throughout their journey at the hospital with Hugh, Ade and Martin observed many other struggling and exhausted families, under severe pressure, who were left with no option but to sleep on chairs, floors and in corridors – often for months at a time.
The reasons being that these parents and families often came from rural areas hundreds of miles from the capital, or because they didn’t have the financial resources to cover the cost of accommodation near the hospital where their child was undergoing crucial treatment.
After their son’s passing, Ade and Martin decided that they wanted to help these families by offering them a bed, a hot meal, a cup of tea and a garden space.
And so, the couple decided to invest in the purchase of a property located just five minutes walking distance from the main hospitals – they called it Hugh’s House.
The property can now accommodate up to 11 families, with many staying there for quite substantial periods.
Table quiz
Macra’s Hill 16 club – one of three clubs in the capital at the moment – has built a strong relationship with the nearby charity over recent years and it has hosted a number of events in support of Hugh’s House.
The club will this year hold a table quiz to help bolster funds for the cause.
The table quiz will take place at Doheny & Nesbitt’s bar, located along Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2, tonight, Wednesday, November 20, at 7:30pm.
All funds raised at the event will go towards Hugh’s House and towards the Macra Hill 16 club. Organisers say “all are welcome to attend”.