A Mayo school fundraising drive that has taken place over the last number of months reached its finale late last week.

St Nicholas Special School in Ballina began their fundraising drive in May and concluded with an event in Mount Falcon last Friday. The aim of the fundraiser was for the purchase of a modern school bus with the ability to facilitate numerous wheelchairs.

The event featured an array of speakers and guests from Ireland and abroad including the Mayo senior football manager James Horan, Willie Ruane of Connacht Rugby, humanitarian Rhetta Moran and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Harry Hughes of Portwest. The Canadian ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers was the special guest for the event which was hosted by Mid-West Radio presenter Tommy Marren in front of an audience of 200 people.

While the final figure of the event has not been determined, pre-event expectations aimed towards the €15,000 mark. Previous smaller event have been ongoing over the last six months. One of the chief organisers was Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine vet Damien Barrett. The Killala native also sits on the board of the school in Ballina. He complimented the local businesses on the support received.

“There has been tremendous support from the local businesses and wider community. This has been a group effort and all the support was greatly needed and appreciated.”

News on the amount raised will be known soon.