Mayo-headquartered retailer Carraig Donn is aiming to raise more than €100,000 over the next year for the Cancer Fund for Children charity.
The charity is currently constructing Daisy Lodge in Cong, a short-stay facility for children with cancer and their families that is due to open in February 2027.
The facility will give families the opportunity to spend time together and create lasting memories away from the challenges of cancer treatment and hospital visits.
Carraig Donn says it is “honoured to collaborate with the charity and support its mission to provide vital emotional and practical support for families during one of the most difficult times in their lives.”
Founded in Westport and owned by the Hughes family, Carraig Donn is one of the country’s leading fashion, jewellery and lifestyle retailers, with 43 stores nationwide.
For the next twelve months, Carraig Donn will run a range of fundraising initiatives for the charity.
Planned initiatives include tea days, fashion shows, community events, staff-led fundraisers and an online charity draw in partnership with Sunway Holidays.
It will also be introducing a range of exclusive charity products, with all proceeds going towards Cancer Fund for Children.
“Partnering with Cancer Fund for Children is a great honour for all of us at Carraig Donn,” said Pat Hughes, Group CEO of Carraig Donn.
“We are incredibly proud to support the vital work they do for families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis. Together with our dedicated teams across Ireland, we are committed to raising funds throughout the year to help make those precious family moments possible.”
Cancer Fund for Children provides specialist emotional, social and therapeutic support to children and young people diagnosed with cancer, and to their families, across the island of Ireland.
They deliver their services in homes, communities, hospitals and therapeutic centres, such as its existing Daisy Lodge facility in Newcastle, County Down.
The Newcastle facility supports around 450 families annually but is unable to meet existing demand for therapeutic short breaks.
When complete, the Daisy Lodge in Cong will raise the charity’s capacity to 1,000 families per year.
Millions of euros have already been raised locally and nationally to support construction of the Daisy Lodge in Cong.
The project has received support from some high-profile figures, including former Ireland rugby captain Rory Best, who completed two major fundraising walks for Daisy Lodge, from Newcastle, County Down, to Cong in 2021 and from Dublin to Cong in 2023.