A 27 hour busk-a-thon to break a Guinness World Record in Armagh city has raised over £13,414 for a Christmas Toy Appeal.
Yesterday (August 29), local musician Marty Rafferty took on the most gruelling challenge of his career yet… playing for 27 hours straight in a bid to beat a world record and raise money for a worthy cause.
The record attempt was part of a cross-community fundraising appeal in partnership with the West Armagh Consortium for this year’s Secret Santa Toy Appeal, which raises money and provides gifts for low-income families.
The official record sits at 24 hours, with the unofficial record at 26 hours and four minutes, but Marty -with a broken thumb- and his team outshone both by playing for a total of 27:01:58 seconds.
With the help of The Orchard County Band , Marty and his team have now provisionally broken the Guinness World Record and the donations have been tallied up which where received via buckets at the Bandstand and online through GoFundMe.
The bucket collection raised £5,603.40 and the Toy Appeal GoFundMe page currently sitting at £7,811 – with the total raised set at £13,414.40 at the time of writing.
Speaking to Armagh I, Liam White, of Philip White Tyres and event organiser said: “Philip White Tyres opened 40 years ago and throughout we have had turbulent times as a business but Armagh people have always supported us over the years.
“We wanted to give back in a way as so many helped us during difficult times so, I reached out to West Armagh Consortium last Halloween and together we came up with the Secret Santa Appeal project.
“Last year we provided gifts to over 150 families, a lot more than we ever excepted would need help so we knew this year we wanted to do something to escalate the appeal and that’s when I got talking to Marty and the busk-a-thon idea grew from there.”
The busk-a-thon took place at the Bandstand in Market Street, Armagh, beginning on Wednesday August, 27 at 12pm, and ran through to 3pm on Thursday August, 28.
Making national and worldwide news, the effort has been covered on news channels from as far as Italy and Australia!
Liam continued: “Everyone involved put in a really tough shift especially during the evening and into the dark hours when you didn’t have the buzz of people about town.
“We didn’t know how this was going to turn out but everything fell into place and everyone was generous beyond our hopes. We want to thank the people of Armagh who came out, as it not only made a big difference boosting morale for the singers, but also the difference this money will make at Christmas time helping families.
“We just want families to know that there is help out there and that all money donated will be staying within Armagh city.
“The difference this money will make to families will be incredible. It will help to cut out the stress caused from the cost of living which was high last year and hasn’t got any better this year.”
With all involved taking a few days to rest and recover, next week they plan on sorting through all the footage and documents to submit to Guinness World Record – with the final result to be confirmed by Christmas.
“I myself would like to say a big thanks to Marty and the band. They have been a great throughout this entire process, they never complained once and just got on with it and they differently settled my nerves over the past few weeks,” said Liam.
Applications for families to be recognised by the Toy Appeal will open at the beginning of November.
Sinn Féin Councillor John Óg O’Kane has praised local musicians Marty Rafferty and fellow performers after over £13,000 was raised for the Armagh Secret Santa Appeal during a marathon busking session that also broke a world record.
“This was an extraordinary act of generosity, talent, and heart,” said Councillor O’Kane.
“Over £13,000 has been raised to support families and children in Armagh this Christmas — a staggering achievement that will make a real difference.”
“While setting a world record is an incredible accomplishment in itself, the real story here is the generosity shown by those who donated, and the commitment of Marty and his fellow musicians to ensure no child in Armagh is left out this Christmas.”
“This is what community looks like — people coming together through music and solidarity to help others. I want to sincerely thank every performer, volunteer, and donor involved. You’ve shown what Armagh is made of: compassion, creativity, and community spirit.”
Click here to donate to the Secret Santa Toy Appeal
