Masquerade Ball Fundraiser

Friends of the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar are in the middle of a major campaign to fundraise €250,000 to upgrade the current CT scanning facilities in the hospital and are holding a Black Tie Masquerade Ball in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Saturday, February 27. This magical event will commence with a champagne reception at 7.30pm followed by a five course meal, with music by The Boys from the Blackstuff. The Friends of Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar is a registered charity which was set up in 1990 with an initial objective of fund raising for a CT scanner for the hospital. In total €350,000 was raised by members of the general public and the CT scanner was installed and became operational in 1998. Thousands of patients in Longford and Westmeath have benefited and have been able to have their CT scans performed in Mullingar rather than having to travel elsewhere. The group are now trying to upgrade the scanner to 64 slices, which will enable the highly specialised computer software for heart testing, allowing Mullingar Hospital to offer quicker, non-invasive detection of heart disease without the need for invasive tests being carried out or the need to travel to Dublin. Tickets are priced at €95 or tables of ten can be purchased at €900. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, committee member Carmen Lovely said your support would be greatly appreciated: "It's going to be a fun night and I know the tickets might seem a bit pricey, but the important thing to remember is that the money is staying local and will benefit the community as a whole," explained Carmen. "We can promise great food and entertainment and there will also be venetian masks provided on the night so that everyone can get into the spirit of things," she said. For more information or to purchase a ticket simply contact Carmen on 0868576220 or John 0876127097.