Barretstown welcomes 21,000th 'camper'

The Barretstown children’s charity, which offers support to children affected by a serious illness and their families, has welcomed its 21,000th "camper" at a special ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House this afternoon.

Over 100 guests - including Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague and former Barretstown campers - were all on hand to mark the occasion.

The charity was set up in 1994 to give children and parents the opportunity to attend weekend and week-long camps and experience a programme of therapeutic recreation aimed at rebuilding their confidence, trust and self-esteem through a "fun, activity based process of challenge, success, reflection and discovery".

As part of its new campaign, Barretstown is asking people to "Like" its Facebook page so the number of supporters it has on the social network will match the number of campers who have passed through its doors.

It currently has just over 6,000 Facebook supporters, and Domino's Pizza has agreed to donate €1 for every new ‘Like’ the Barretstown Facebook page gets.

“We are very proud to celebrate reaching 21,000 campers at Barretstown this year,” the charity’s chief executive, Dee Ahearn, said. “Over the past 17 years, Barretstown has welcomed so many children affected by serious illness and their families, and we look forward to welcoming the next 21,000 campers in the years to come,” she added.

Dublin’s mayor described today as “a fantastic celebration for Barretstown and for children and families throughout Ireland”. Mr Montague pointed out childhood cancer "affects so many families nationwide, and thankfully there are organisations such as Barretstown to provide a much-needed network of support".

Andrew Hogg of Domino’s said the pizza chain had been working with Barretstown for five years and that each summer it brings its pizza ovens and toppings to the Kildare castle so kids can make and eat their own pizzas. “It is an absolute privilege for us to work within the Barretstown camp, the staff are true legends, and we hope to continue to raise funds through the ‘Like’ campaign on Facebook,” he said.

Former Barretstown campers on hand to mark the milestone included Aoife O’Brien and Niall Farrell. Ms O’Brien (18) from Drogheda was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was just seven, and she attended summer camps at Barretstown with her family in 2000. She is now in second year studying Primary Teaching in Marino Institute of Education.

Mr Farrell (21) from Walkinstown was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 13 and again at the age of 15. He attended summer camps in Barretstown in 2005, and at today’s event he said he wanted to thank the charity for helping him to regain confidence and self-esteem. He is studying a Masters in Development Studies in DCU.