Remembering jake through folk music

The parents of Jake Rankin were overjoyed to see the tsunami of support that flooded Castlederg last weekend when the first ever set of memorial events were held in their son’s name.

On Saturday, conservative estimations suspect that over 500 people squeezed into the packed Albert Street car park, Castlederg, for a charity concert to raise money for a children’s charity that supported Jake and his family after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Sadly, Jake passed away in 2020.

The Logues, Lee Matthews and Claudia Buckley represented only a portion of the stars that performed on Saturday night, flitting and swirling across the stage, leading the close crowd in both song and dance.

Then, the following day, in a sight that would have exhilarated Jake beyond words, a proud convoy of 94 lorries left Donnell & Ellis yard in Omagh and rode the winding road to Castlederg.

All of the money raised in memory of the ‘well-known and even better liked’ Edwards Primary School pupil will be donated to Helping Hand, a charity who work closely with the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

Reacting upon the huge turnout for both events, Jake’s mother, Shalane, said that it “feels so good to give back.”

“When we decided that we would put together something big for Jake and that we would use it to raise money for a charity, we didn’t have to think twice about who we would donate to.”

Through some his hardest days, Jake was expertly looked after by staff in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

“It is the only ward of its kind in the North and they only have 12 beds,” said Shalane. “But the staff there are just unbelievable.

“When Jake was really unwell, they were not only good to him, but they looked after us as well.

“They brought in a bed and let us sleep beside Jake which meant so much,” said Shalane.

The money raised is yet to be counted, but it looks like it will be over £10,000.

While it is true that the tragedy of Jake’s passing can never be undone, and no amount of charity work will ever fill the void that he has left behind, Shalane said that it is “some kind of consolation to know that other children and their families will be helped by the money which has been raised in his name.

“We loved Jake so much and he was such a well known and well liked boy,” she said.

“That’s part of the reason why so many people turned out and why we were able to raise so much money. Once counted, this money will go straight to the charity and it will make a difference for some other family,” concluded Shalane.