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Northsiders head China fundraising campaign

Wednesday, 04 June 2008

A KIND-HEARTED Northside couple are heading a major fundraising campaign to help those most affected by the horrific earthquake that devastated China recently.
John Hughes and his Chinese wife, Lida, from Coolatree, Beaumont, said they were shocked and upset at the carnage wreaked on the people of the central Chinese province of Sichuan by the earthquake that struck on May 12.
With the death toll from the quake expected to rise to as many as 90,000 people and a further one million left homeless, John and Lida said they simply had to do something to try and alleviate their suffering.
The couple, who have organised a special fundraising night in the Carlton Hotel on the Old Airport Road on Friday, June 13, say they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of neighbours and the business community on the Northside.
Lida, from the seaside town of Dalian in northern China, revealed her initial panic and concern when images of the earthquake were relayed on TV.
“I was immediately on the phone to my family in China to ensure everybody was safe,” she said.
“As my family all live in the northern part of China and beside the sea, they were not affected by the earthquake but they were extremely upset for the people who were caught up in it.
“They were dreadful scenes and it is terrible to think that in just a few seconds so many lives were lost.”
Speaking to Northside People, Lida’s husband, John, said he couldn’t bear to look at the scenes from the earthquake without doing something to help.
“When I saw the devastation of the earthquake on the news, I said to Lida that I was going out of the house for an hour,” he stated.
“I knew straight away that I wanted to do something to raise money and approached the Carlton Hotel about holding the fundraising night which they agreed to.”
John, who has a keen interest in Chinese culture, has visited the country on two occasions with Lida and the couple got married there two years ago.
He said he was devastated for the parents who had lost children in the earthquake.
“This is especially sad because of the fact that many Chinese families only have the one child and so to see those parents now without their children is terrible,” John declared.
John and Lida are also looking into the possibility of adopting two children who have been orphaned by the earthquake.
Meanwhile, Lida said that many people in Sichuan Province are still in desperate need of aid.
“It has been difficult to get access to the people who live in the mountainous regions of Sichuan because many of the roads have been damaged,” she explained.
“So they are really in need of finance, as they will all need food and medical attention and their homes are going to have to be rebuilt.”
However, Lida and John said they were sure the people of North Dublin would give generously towards their cause.
John said he has walked into numerous businesses on the Northside and all have offered generous prizes to be raffled during the fundraising night.
“I have to say that the response from all local shops, restaurants and businesses that I have approached, particularly in the Omni Park Shopping Centre in Santry, and in other areas has been warm-hearted and extremely generous,” he added.
“The Carlton Hotel have been brilliant about this as well and it is tremendous to see this humanity in people towards such a tragedy.”
The fundraising night in the Carlton Hotel kicks off at 8.30pm and will include a performance from John’s band, ‘The Kitty Hawks’, a DJ, a raffle, karaoke, dancing and an exhibition performance of Tai Chi.
Entry on the night is free with all donations gratefully received.
John and Lida will present all monies raised from the event to the Chinese Embassy in Ballsbridge, which will then be forwarded to China as part of the earthquake relief effort.
If you would like to donate towards this cause, contact John Hughes on 087-7929370 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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