Derry Ladies with big hearts hold charity coffee morning at Aras Colmcille

Members of the Purple Hearts group pictured with Father Gerard Mongan.

A group of women who came together to form their own social club after the Covid-19 lockdown are holding a charity coffee morning on Saturday.

Known as the ‘Purple Hearts’ the group began meeting over a year ago when the majority of restrictions had been lifted.With their trademark purple fleeces, the group now meets once a week at the Aras Colmcille Centre (Wee Nuns) at the Long Tower Church, supporting each other to look after their mental health.

The group has run several charity initiatives – and this Saturday, October 21, they’ll be holding a coffee morning at the Aras Colmcille to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Kathleen Doherty, a member of the Purple Hearts said: “Our group is all about getting out, socializing and having a bit of fun, enjoying all those things that we were deprived of during the lockdown.

“Many of the women in the group attend Mass daily, so we started meeting for a cup of tea after 10 a.m. Mass. The numbers have just grown. We take part in many activities including keeping fit, quizzes, bus trips, crafts, and dancing. We’ve got so much out of it that now we want to give something back so we’re raising money for Macmillan.”

The event starts at 10.30 on Saturday morning and will include live music. Everyone is welcome to attend to have a chat and a ‘bit of craic’.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Purple Hearts can contact Aras Colmcille at: 028 71368491.