Steven O'Rourke posted on February 17, 2009 19:00
For those of you who don't know, Barretstown was founded in 1994 by the late, great, Paul Newman.
It was to be the first of his European Hole in the Wall Camps; established to provide seriously ill children with recreational and therapeutic camping experiences. The camp has grown from serving 124 children in a marquee in 1994 to over 12,000 children and their families from 23 European countries and is now equiped with excellent medical facilities.
Every child (and their family) visits Barretstown free of charge (including any travel/food costs). In order to do this Barretstown must raise over €4.5 million every year, with 96% of this coming from donations from companies and private individuals. Now, obviously we are in a 'Credit Crunch' (queue the spectre of George Lee behind your shoulder) and the first thing that people stop doing is donating to charity and those like Barretstown, with such a lack of government support, are the first to suffer. Key Notes has seen first hand what a positive effect Barretstown can have on the life of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening disease and has always been a supporter of the venture. Now, you too can help them.
On the 27th of February The Academy will host Inspirations - Gig of the Year. Acts already confirmed for the event include Republic of Loose, Ham Sandwich, Sinead O'Connor, Engine Alley, The Blizzards, The Kinetics, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Shane MacGowan and The Walls with more to be announced soon. All the bands will be performing songs that have inspired them and influenced their music.
Tickets are available from usual outlets for a very reasonable (considering the amount of acts) €28. So go on, get down to The Academy on February 27; you get to have a good night out and do something worthwhile at the same time! What more could you ask for?
Ham Sandwich: Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover)
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