Rory Carlin Memorial Fund tops £110,000 mark

THE RORY CARLIN Memorial Fund, established to raise awareness on the dangers of drink and drugs has topped the £110,000 mark, only seven months after it first began.

Started by Strabane man Dominic Carlin after his son Rory had his life cruelly taken away by drugs, the charity drive saw a series of fundraising events including a climb of Mount Errigal, a Strabane contingent taking part in the Belfast Marathon, a 37-mile run from Strabane to Downings – which was one of Rory’s favourite places – and most recently the Northern Ireiand Fire Service in Strabane’s annual flag day which raised £11,360 pounds for the fund.

Michael Ward of Strabane Fire Service commented, “This year we were delighted to support the ‘Rory Carlin Memorial Fund’… Through the generosity of those that contributed, we raised a phenomenal amount of £11,360. A fantastic effort by everyone involved and thanks for your unwavering support.”

Rory’s father Dominic admits he has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the Strabane people since the fund began.

He said, “It’s just wonderful. I cannot fathom just how much the people of Strabane have supported our family since the campaign began. The support we receive with each passing event is just phenomenal. Although I don’t have an exact figure as yet, to achieve over £110,000 after such a short time is fantastic and it says a lot about how Strabane has taken the campaign to its heart.

“As ever, I and the rest of the family would love to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign since it began. We wanted to do something positive in Rory’s memory and thanks to the generosity of the Strabane people we’ve achived that.”

Asked whether he feels that the campaign is making a difference, Dominic replied, “Absolutely. I can’t count the amount of young people who have been engaging with the campaign and who have come up to me personally to share their thoughts on what we’re doing. Additionally, I know from speaking with Adrian (Loughry) at the Koram Centre that he has been seeing an influx of young people coming in to avail of the services at the Centre so this only proves that the message is getting through. It’s time the scourge of drugs was eradicated from Strabane. Remember’ your life matters. Say no to drugs.”