Mullingar gets ‘Together for Gareth’ in March fundraiser
Friends of Mullingar man Gareth Hayes are rallying around for a series of events next month to raise funds for ‘Chicken’ and his family, as he continues to battle serious illness.
A benefit night – the first leg of an initiative entitled ‘Together for Gareth’ – will take place in The Chambers bar on Mount Street on Friday March 4 (8pm till late). This will be followed on St Patrick’s Day (Thursday March 17) by a fundraising soccer match at D’Alton Park, the home of Gareth’s beloved Mullingar Town FC.
A couple of years ago, Gareth – who turned 40 in December – was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, and has been on chemotherapy and various forms of treatment ever since.
As a result of the treatment and the progression of his illness, Gareth has developed serious issues with his hearing, eyesight and general mobility, and aside from the physical toll, adjusting to these developments has placed huge financial pressure on Gareth and his family.
In recent months, Gareth’s friends and colleagues have come together to devise a number of initiatives to ease this burden. In October, Mullingar Town striker and Gareth’s neighbour, Johnny Keegan, set up a GoFundMe campaign tied into Johnny’s climb of the Scottish mountain, Ben Nevis, which raised €3,000. Meanwhile, another Mullingar man and close friend of Gareth’s, Keith Matthews, recently held a collection during the Combined Counties Cup derby between Mullingar Town and Mullingar Celtic.
Now, Keith has joined forces with another friend of Gareth’s, Stephen Molloy, to organise a double-whammy fundraiser in the coming weeks, which the two men hope will generate huge support for the cause.
Stephen and Keith have spent recent months travelling up and down the streets of Mullingar seeking donations and sponsorship, and gathering prizes for a massive raffle and auction which will take place at the ‘Together for Gareth’ benefit night in The Chambers on the night of March 4.
Sponsorship cards and opportunities to donate money or raffle/auction prizes are still available, and with the benefit night just weeks away, Stephen hopes that more businesses and individuals will come on board.
“We’re overwhelmed by the support so far, and by the generosity of business people in Mullingar,” he told the Westmeath Examiner. “I’ve talked to people I’ve never talked to before over the last few months, and they have been so supportive.”
One example Stephen highlighted was the support given by Joe Gallagher of ‘Yes We Can’ Printing of Mount Street, who looked after the printing of posters, sponsorship cards and other material for the initiative. “This was a huge gesture and we are so grateful to Joe,” said Stephen.
Raffle/auction
Gareth Hayes is a well-known character on the soccer scene in Mullingar and beyond. Aside from working as a machine operator in Mergon, Castlepollard for the last 20 years, he runs a business, GH Memorabilia, which trades in framed/signed jerseys, boxing gloves and other sporting memorabilia. Having established an extensive array of contacts in the sporting world, for many years he organised “meet and greet evenings” with boxers and ex-footballers, where fans in Mullingar and beyond could meet their heroes, buy memorabilia and listen to the stars talk about their careers.
It’s no surprise, then, that sports memorabilia comprises some of the items up for grabs in the raffle and auction in The Chambers on March 4.
Stephen and Keith managed to link up with the Irish rugby team at a training session in Carton House, and had an Irish jersey signed by each member of the squad which defeated New Zealand in the Autumn Internationals last November.
“Through Shane Lowry, we’ve also managed to get one of the flags from the Ryder Cup, signed by Shane and each member of the European team captained by Padraig Harrington. We have framed it and surrounded the flag with photos of the team members,” Stephen added.
It doesn’t stop there. Two tickets to the Republic of Ireland’s forthcoming UEFA Nations League clash with Ukraine in June, supplied by Irish soccer legend Paul McGrath, have already been raffled and will be presented to the winner by the former Manchester United and Ireland star personally. Meanwhile, a jersey signed by the Republic of Ireland squad will also be raffled or auctioned.
“We have tons of firewood, kitchen goods, two nights in the Pillo Hotel in Ashbourne, hotel vouchers and many other prizes on offer,” said Stephen.
Tickets for the benefit night on March 4 are €10, and for a €5 donation, you can get your photo taken with the English Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup trophies, as well as the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup trophies.
Soccer match
Gareth is also known far and wide as a fanatical follower of English Premier League champions Manchester City, and his support and love for the club goes back to his childhood, long before the days of the Adu Dhabi United Group takeover. He supported the club through thick and thin, right through the dark days of relegation to the old Division 2. In 2006, he was named the club’s ‘Fan of the Year’.
Locally, he has been involved with Mullingar Town FC for years, and during the last decade was manager of the club’s ‘B’ team.
So naturally, there is a strong soccer element to the ‘Together for Gareth’ fundraiser, culminating in the benefit match at Mullingar Town’s D’Alton Park venue on St Patrick’s Day (12pm).
In this match, a Mullingar Town selection managed by club chairman Martin Moore – including many of those who soldiered under Gareth during his time as ‘B’ manager – will take on ‘Mergon Superstars’, a team raised from among Gareth’s colleagues in Castlepollard, managed by Sean Quinn.
“All the staff at Mergon have supported us from day one, and the company will be supplying a food truck for the game,” Stephen explained. “KC Sports in Mullingar are also supplying us with jerseys and socks for the day.”
Stephen says that this will be more than just a football match – but a day for all the family, with bouncing castles and other attractions. Gareth’s daughter, Sienna (14), will toss the coin before kick-off. Donations to the cause can be made at the gate.
For this, as well as the benefit night, Stephen and Keith are asking for everybody’s support, the smallest amount of which will count for Gareth, his wife Carina and Sienna as Gareth continues to deal with his the effects of illness and treatment.
Donations can be made using Revolut via Stephen’s phone number, 087 4143601 or through Paypal (via smolloy@ymail.com). If anyone has any prizes they would like to contribute to the raffle or any items which may be suitable for the auction, please contact Stephen at the number above.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner this week, Gareth himself had the following message: “I’m blown away by the support that has been given by the town and local businesses, not just for the fundraiser, but in sending their get well wishes.
“I’d especially like to thank Pat, Sean, Aisling and all at Mergon for their support. They have helped out massively from day one.”