Charity admits 'error' accepting donation from local hunt group

LauraLynn, Ireland's children's hospice charity, has admitted “an error” in accepting a donation from the South Westmeath Hunt group before Christmas.

Over €1,800 was raised from a Santa ride-out event by local children in the Glasson area last December, and was presented to LauraLynn in January.

The Mullingar-based Irish Council Against Blood Sports later raised the issue of the donation from the local hunt group with the children's charity.

In a statement to the Westmeath Independent this week LauraLynn, clarified that “it does not, as policy, accept any fundraisers or funds from any blood-sport related bodies or groups and has in the past always refused such fundraisers. It is with regret that this fundraiser slipped through and that was an error”.

While the charity said it was “not aware of the fundraiser in advance of the event taking place”, South Westmeath Hunt disputed this, saying it contacted the organisation beforehand and got a positive response.

“On checking our correspondence with LauraLynn Foundation, we contacted them prior to the event to inform them of our intention to hold a fun ride fundraiser on their behalf on December 23, 2023 to which we received a positive response from them,” a brief statement from South Westmeath Hunt explained.

“Following the event the funds collected were presented to the foundation as previously agreed,” it added.

The charity ride-out event involved mostly children, and there was no hunt element or hounds involved.

LauraLynn vowed that going forward, the charity would be “extra vigilant” and “can assure those concerned that this was an error of judgement and won’t re-occur”.

While the Irish Council Against Bloodsports acknowledged the vital role fundraisers play in sustaining charity work, they called on charitable organisations to say no to hunt-organised fundraisers which they described as “thinly-veiled public relations exercises”.

The council said it is unfortunate that charities are forced to fundraise, particularly, when hunt groups have been major beneficiaries of funding from Horseracing Ireland for point-to-point events in the past.

It called on the government to end this funding and redirect the money to deserving charities and community groups instead.