Newcastle pupils get revved up for Driving Miss Daisy for Daisy Lodge fundraiser

18 April 2018

NEWCASTLE will rumble to the sights and sounds of a very special event on Friday, May 4.

Vehicles of all shapes and sizes will be at St Mary’s Primary School for a fund-raising cavalcade to in aid of the Cancer Fund for Children’s Daisy Lodge centre in the town.

The Driving Miss Daisy for Daisy Lodge event is also being organised by P3 teachers as part of the children’s work on their transport topic.

One of the teachers, Mr Kieran Prenter, explained: “We wanted to do something unusual that would show the different types and uses of a range of transport to the children.

“We had already booked a visit to the Transport Museum in Cultra but wanted to bring it to life for the girls and boys so we decided to ask the local community with connections to St Mary’s to see if they could help.”

A keen follower of motorsport, Mr Prenter had a good idea of who to approach.

He said: “I knew from attending different car events and just travelling to and from work that some existing and former parents of the school had a variety of cars and bikes, both modern and classic. It was just a case of asking them.

“After floating the idea past school principal, Mr Philip Fusco, and getting the green flag it was pedal to the metal and the process began in earnest. He was very excited with the brief outline in getting the school and local people together.”

In a matter of days, the event had a name. Not only was it catchy but it provided a link with the Cancer Fund for Children who have their centre just over a mile away from the school.

Mr Prenter continued: “I approached people and explained what we were doing, explained the fund raising aspect and asked could we

borrow their car, van, bike, machinery, boat, etc.

“Everyone was more than supportive and generous. There were no refusals. The local businesses that use their vehicles on a daily basis for their livelihood and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have promised us something on the Friday. They’ll all do their best.

“The morning will begin at 9.30am when the vehicles will gather in Islands Park opposite the entrance to the school gate where they will be given a daisy symbol to display on their windscreen to show their support for Daisy Lodge.

“They will form a cavalcade that will proceed to the school where the children will be standing along the drive to welcome them before parking up in the playground and parking bays. It should be quite a sight and sound fantastic.

“Already confirmed are some Porsches, a World Rally car, classic cars and a modern electric car. The Fire, Police and Ambulance Services, as well as tractors, quads, oil lorries and camper vans, will be here. We have one motorbike stretching back to the 1930s, as well as Harley Davidsons, racing and mountain bikes, boats and even a canoe.

“There are a couple of surprises which haven’t been confirmed yet so I can’t say anything. At the minute we have in excess of 60 vehicles with more to come.”

The children and visitors will be able to look closely at the exhibits from 10 to midday and talk with the proud owners. Some will be open where the children will be able to get in while others will just be on display.

Aisling Gibson, South Down regional fund-raiser for the Cancer Fund for Children, said: “We were delighted to get Kieran’s call. The whole idea was both novel and exciting and to have our residence at the forefront just sounded perfect.

“It promises to be a great morning. The P3 teachers, Mr Prenter and Mrs Jenni Maguire, have been working very hard behind the scenes wrapping doors and making phone calls. They have gathered a varied and wide selection of vehicles.”

As the number of vehicles coming began to grow so too did the scale of what was being planned. A P1 pupil in the school, Ciara McVeigh, was diagnosed at the beginning of the academic year with a brain tumour and thankfully is now back with her classmates.

The school and her parents were keen to acknowledge the wonderful care and support she received in the Paul Ward in the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast and the Angel Wishes charity, so there will be a coffee morning running alongside the vehicle show.

Mrs Maguire said: “Mr and Mrs McVeigh were overwhelmed by the many messages of support, kind words and prayers said for Ciara and wanted to raise money for the marvellous work undertaken in the Paul Ward and the Angel Wishes project in particular.

“They wanted to get the school to adopt these organisations as it was particularly appropriate this year. The school was completely behind them in this.”

The latest information on the event and an up to date list of the vehicles coming can be found in News & Events and Latest News on St Mary’s school website page at www.stmarysprimary.co.uk as well as the Facebook pages for both the Cancer Fund for Children and Angel Wishes.

For those who would like to support the event or make a contribution, donations can be made to the secretary in St Mary’s or by ringing (028) 4372 3730; the Cancer Fund for Children Head Office on (028) 9080 5599 or emailing aisling@cancerfundforchildren.com; or the Just Giving page for Angel Wishes.

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