The staff of Ashford Estate which takes in Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford raised almost €12,000 for the Hand in Hand charity last year.
The initial target for the staff to raise was set at €7,000, but they almost doubled that amount through a series of events and challenges to raise the much-needed funds for Hand in Hand.
The staff Christmas party raffle raised almost €1,800 and a sponsored 5k run through the estate raised a further €800. The daring among the team committed to taking on the head-spinning Ashford skydive challenge which raised over €3,000.
Marie Karner from the housekeeping team raised €555 by running the Dublin City Marathon in October, and a further €722 was collected by the Ashford Estate team when they set up a car wash and Cornettos day on the estate
The commitment and drive of the team from The Lodge at Ashford Castle was generously supported by all guests staying in The Lodge from January to December 2017, with guest donations to Hand in Hand totalling €4,752.
General manager of the Ashford Estate, Niall Rochford, said everyone was very proud of the efforts made by the staff in this fundraising drive: “We are immensely proud of the team for their incredible fundraising efforts for Hand in Hand.
"To almost double our initial target is fantastic but not surprising as our team here on the estate always gives 100 per cent. The generosity of our guests must be noted too, it was wonderful to see so many visitors from around the country, and indeed around the world, support our staff and the charity in this way.”
Speaking on behalf of Hand in Hand, the Children’s Cancer Charity, Jennifer Carpenter, service manager, said: “We are just thrilled to accept this wonderful donation at Hand in Hand and are so grateful to everyone who helped in the fundraising.
"The commitment by the team on the Ashford Estate is very much appreciated by everyone here at the charity but mostly, and most importantly, by the children who use our services and their families who will benefit from this support.”
