Up to a thousand members of the retail trade turned out in their finery at Leopardstown Racecourse on Thursday 22nd June for the IGBF President’s Summer Fundraiser. Over €90,000 was raised thanks to the generosity of key sponsors Manor, ABP, Heinz, General Mills, Bulmers, Diageo, Dole, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Love Irish Food as well as the hundreds of well known FMCG suppliers who bought tickets for their colleagues and teams.
Guests enjoyed an exciting evening of racing and live music in the warm sunshine, and a wide variety of great quality food and drink was served up to the buzzing crowd.
Tesco Ireland Commercial Director and President of Appeals for the Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund (IGBF) Joe Manning said, “Throughout my career in the industry, the IGBF has been an integral part of the retail landscape, providing essential help to those in need. I am so pleased that so many of our colleagues from across the trade supported this great event at Leopardstown. Thanks to their generosity we managed to raise in excess of €90,000 which we are thrilled about.”
As well as the racing and live music there was a Best Dressed person Competition, with the first prize winner receiving a trip to New York. There was wide interest in the competition, and the winner on the night was Kathryn Roche from Irish Country Meats, from Carlow.
IGBF chairperson, Frances Higgins, said “It really was wonderful to see such great support for our summer gathering. As part of our calendar of events, this event will go a long way towards our goal of raising funds to help support the individuals and families who need us.”
