The family of the late Co Armagh man Dermot Maguire have donated a generous £2,009 to Southern Trust Community Addiction Services.
Dermot, a popular musician and entertainer from Lurgan, passed away 20 years ago after a lifetime struggle with alcohol issues.
His daughters, Jacqui and Kelly organised a charity night in memory of their father – they wanted to use the opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of substance misuse on entire families and help to support others living with addiction.
Members of the Addiction Services Service User Group, ‘So Hope’ welcomed the donation.
A spokesperson said: “What a fantastic achievement for such a worthy cause – thank you for this generous donation to a much needed service.”
The funds raised will be donated to the Patient Comforts Fund for the Community Addictions Services.
Thanking the family for their donation, Dr Michelle Gilmore, Consultant Psychiatrist for the Addictions Service said: “Substance misuse can have a huge impact on individuals, family, communities and society as a whole.
“On behalf of the Community Addictions Team, I sincerely thank the Maguire family for taking the time and effort to help raise awareness of substance misuse throughout their community.
“This very generous donation will be a welcome boost to our service in helping us to support and improve the lives of people affected by substance misuse across the area.”
‘So Hope’ which stands for ‘Southern Hope’ is a group of people with addiction issues from across the Southern Trust who work with staff to help improve services. To find out more about their work or to contact the Community Addiction Team Tel: 028 3741 2418
