The charity Air Ambulance NI has received an extraordinary boost following the recent RedHouse Holstein Open Day & World Wide Sires progeny showcase, which saw more than 3,000 attendees.
The event, hosted at RedHouse Holsteins – at the Irwin farm in Benburb – in conjunction with World Wide Sires, brought together the agricultural community and local supporters for a day dedicated to fundraising, celebration, and innovation in livestock breeding. An impressive £86,000 was raised for the Air Ambulance Charity.
Damien McAnespie, Fundraising Manager for Air Ambulance NI, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support: “I want to express my deep thanks to David, the Irwin family and everyone at RedHouse Holsteins for what they have done in support of the charity. David, Alan and the team at World Wide Sires put a huge amount of work and time into planning and promoting the event, managing raffle prizes and auction items and preparing the family farm for visitors.”
Damien concluded “I also want to express my thanks to Benburb Presbyterian Church for providing refreshments to everyone on the day with donations to Air Ambulance, the team at Taaffe Auctions and MartEye for providing the online platform for the auction and our own charity volunteers for their amazing help on the day. We are indebted to the community for their support and we never take it for granted.”
The event’s success was further highlighted by Ervin McKinstry, General Manager of WWS UK, who commented: “The open day was a fantastic success, to have so many dairy famers & their families attend the event and give so generously for a charity that is crucial to the rural community was amazing.”
The funds raised will directly support the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, enabling it to operate for nearly eleven days and potentially save the lives of twenty-two individuals in the region.
This achievement underscores the vital importance of community engagement and industry partnership in sustaining emergency services.
The organisers and volunteers, including the Irwin family, the World Wide Sires team, Benburb Presbyterian Church, Taaffe Auctions, MartEye, and Air Ambulance NI volunteers, demonstrated extraordinary dedication, ensuring the day was memorable for all involved and impactful for those who rely on the charity’s services.
