Cheques are presented to groups in Waterford supported by local Christmas charity single
Jo and her parents Graham and Lesley present a cheque to Dungarvan Community First Responders in The Marine Bar
Local writer and multidisciplinary artist Jo Bell recently presented cheques to three charities following the release of her Christmas charity single ‘Absent Friends’.
‘Absent Friends’, a song about the joy of Christmas as a child and the sadness of experiencing loss at that time of year, features vocals from every generation of Jo’s family, aged from 7 to 72.
Benefitting from the song was The Catherine Bullen Foundation, Essex & Suffolk Youth Enquiry Service, and Dungarvan Community First Responders.
Speaking on each, Jo said that they have all contributed to their respective communities in profound ways.
“When I wrote the song, I immediately thought of the Catherine Bullen Foundation. Catherine was a school friend of mine, who died in 2002, while on safari in Namibia, aged just 22. She was on the path to becoming a great doctor but her life was cut tragically short, when she contracted gastroenteritis.
"Her parents Linda and Roger Bullen established the Foundation in her memory and have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people living in poverty in Namibia
“The Dungarvan Community First Responders train members of the public to effectively use defibrillator units and to respond to medical emergencies where a defibrillator or basic life-saving skill might be required. Money raised will help the group to continue their fantastic work."
“The Youth Enquiry Service provides a number of services to support young people in Colchester in the UK. When I was 16 my grandfather died suddenly. It had a profound impact on me and due to a lack of counselling back then, it took me decades to recover from that. The money raised will pay for a full course of counselling for one young person."
