The family of well-known Derry GAA referee Kevin McAllister, who passed away last year, have raised £14,000 for a local charity in his memory.
On April 2, the family of the Kilrea man hosted a night of music in the Marian Hall in the town.
Kevin passed away on September 25, 2015 following a short illness.
He was a well-known referee in Derry for 35 years and was also a familiar face around the local club, Kilrea GAC, where he took care of the ground maintenance and gate duty on match days.
Featuring storyteller Patsy O’Hagan and top band The Untouchables, fundraising event was packed to capacity and was attended by Kevin’s family and friends as well as a large number of current referees in Derry.
An auction and raffle was held on the night with some fabulous prizes up for grabs.
As a result, £14,000 was raised which the McAllister family have handed over to the Friends of the Cancer Centre.
Located in Belfast City Hospital, the charity provided the McAllister family with so much support during Kevin’s illness.
Kevin’s son, Ryan said the proceeds of the fundraiser was the family’s way of ‘trying to repay the centre’.
Kevin spent a couple of months in the centre prior to his death and Ryan says the staff there also provided accommodation for their family members.
Ryan added: “To give back to the charity which gave daddy and us so much help and support means a lot. To raise this amount on the night really does show us how well he was thought of.
“We are very pleased with the amount of money that was raised.”
He concluded: “It was a lot more than we expected. We couldn’t have done it without the great generosity and help from everyone who supported our event.”
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