By 
USUALLY a birthday party is all about the birthday boy or girl, but a recent celebration by a local businessman proved to be something very different.
Anoop Guram, owner of Tusk restaurant, celebrated his 60th birthday last month and instead of gifts for himself, he asked guests to give to charity, raising over £4,000 for local causes in the process.
“My daughter organised the whole party and put on the invites that no-one was to bring a gift,” Anoop explained. “Instead, If they wanted, guests were invited to give a donation to one of two local charities or causes I had chosen specially for the occasion – The Rory Carlin Memorial Fund through the Koram Centre and Strabane Community Search and Rescue.
“Bespoke donation boxes, made by GMG Logos, were displayed on the night where people could deposit their donations and, by the end of the night, we had £3,300. On top of that, businesses were extremely generous in offering goods for a raffle on the night which added £800 to the overall total which ended up at £4,010.
“It was a brilliant night with great food, great music and great generosity from the local people to such good causes. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated a raffle prize and monetary donations.”
Anoop added, “I don’t need anything; I have everything in life I want, so the best thing was to make sure those who do need actually get it.”
Ivan Barr of Strabane Community Search and Rescue, one of the charity recipients, praised Anoop and his family.
“Anoop and his family have supported multiple charities over the years and their generosity has made a lasting impact across local communities,” Ivan said.
“The celebration marked not only a personal milestone for Anoop, but also highlighted the power of community spirit and charitable giving.”
