The Harkin family from Ballinascreen have decided to raise funds in memory of their beloved parents Dr. Cyril Harkin and Nurse Rita Harkin who passed away within the space of little over a year of one another in 2017 and 2018.
Cyril and Rita’s daughter Orla Rhodes, who now lives in Leeds, said the selection of the Foyle Hospice as beneficiary of the memorial fundraiser was an easy decision to make as her sister Dr. Karen Harkin currently works as a specialist doctor in the local patient care unit at the palliative care centre.
“Our big sister Dr. Karen Harkin works at the Foyle Hospice and suggested we raise funds to build a garden room in the grounds of the Hospice where the children of dying or departed parents can go for some time out or counselling.
"This would be a hospice first in Northern Ireland I believe,” Orla explained.
Incredibly Cyril and Rita’s children Karen, Andy, Orla, Nuala and Cliona have already raised over £29,000 of a £50,000 target in a fitting tribute to their parents.
Cyril and Rita, Orla explained, ‘met in the City and County hospital in Derry 65 years ago and spent the rest of their lives caring for others to the very end’.
She added: “Raising the funds for this would be a fitting tribute to Mum and Dad , as our own family home in Draperstown (an amazing place), was a refuge and sanctuary for so many over the years.”
Orla recently organised a salsa and Latin-themed festival day in her adopted home in Yorkshire.
"One hundred and eighty friends and family attended, the sun shone, the food and bar were spectacular and the bands amazing. We raised almost £29,000 but our target is £50,000,” she said.
Members of the public can donate to the fundraising drive in memory of Cyril and Rita and provide bereaved children with their own space at the Foyle Hospice at Orla’s Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/orla-rhodes1
2. Cyril and Rita Harkin's family at a recent fundraising event in Leeds that helped raise £29,000 for a new garden for bereaved children at the Foyle Hospice.
Cyril and Rita Harkin's family at a recent fundraising event in Leeds that helped raise £29,000 for a new garden for bereaved children at the Foyle Hospice. Photo: Ciaran Clancy
3. 180 friends and family attended a salsa and Latin-themed event at Cyril and Rita Harkin's daughter Orla's home in Leeds to raise money for the Foyle Hospice.
180 friends and family attended a salsa and Latin-themed event at Cyril and Rita Harkin's daughter Orla's home in Leeds to raise money for the Foyle Hospice. Photo: Ciaran Clancy
4. Among the attendance at a salsa and Latin-themed festival day in Leeds that was organised to raise funds for the Foyle Hospice in June.
Among the attendance at a salsa and Latin-themed festival day in Leeds that was organised to raise funds for the Foyle Hospice in June. Photo: Ciaran Clancy