ORGANISERS of this year’s Gorey Fête and St Martin’s Bonfire have hailed the “community spirit” of the events’ volunteers after raising more than £36,000 to support a wide range of charities.
The funds were distributed at a recent presentation evening at St Martin’s Public Hall.
Representatives from AllMatters Neurodiverse Jersey, the Jersey Child Care Trust, Healing Waves and Diabetes Jersey as well as the Jersey branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association were among the recipient charities in attendance.
The overall total of the donations presented was £36,750, the bulk of which (£20,000) went to the Jersey Child Care Trust – St Martin’s Bonfire’s chosen charity for this year.
Speaking to the JEP after the presentation, Lester Richardson, who chairs the Gorey Fête and St Martin Bonfire Committee, said: “This is what we work for.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work because the weather isn’t fair, but this is what we really try hard to do – to be able to give out a decent amount of money.”
He praised all of the volunteers who had helped both events to take place.
“If we don’t get support from people, we can’t run it – it’s as simple as that.
“We can do all the organising but we still need everybody there, all the volunteers to come out and help.”
St Martin Constable Karen Shenton-Stone also cited the “community spirit” of the parish as a driving factor behind the events’ success.
She said: “If you’ve got a core of people who are ready and willing to help, it spreads out [through the community].
“Also I’m always in awe of the charities that we help.”
Reflecting on the presentation, she added: “It’s quite an emotional evening actually, because I’m so proud of the Committee and I’m so lucky to work with all these people – they are a phenomenal group of people.”
The St Martin’s School Parent Teacher Association also received £750.
