OVER €400,000 HAS been raised for children’s hospice LauraLynn following an appeal on Joe Duffy’s Liveline. 

Yesterday on RTÉ Radio One, couple Dave and Imelda spoke to Joe about putting €200,000 aside to give to the LauraLynn Hospice, but they had the thought that listeners could match that and by the end of the week LauraLynn would be getting €400,000. 

Just before 3pm this afternoon, Sarah O’Callaghan of LauraLynn announced that €203,172 had been raised since yesterday’s programme began at 1.45pm. 

By matching the first €200,000, LauraLynn will receive over €400,000.

Imelda told Liveline that they were absolutely thrilled. 

She said: “We were out there a few weeks ago and what you all achieve and do for everybody is so humbling and it just left us standing there frozen. We were just gobsmacked by your whole set up, thank you.”

Dave and Imelda’s daughter spent some time in Crumlin Hospital and she had become friends with another child who didn’t survive. Their daughter often prays for her friend and when Dave and Imelda visited LauraLynn they felt they had to do something.

Imelda added: “A few years ago I saw a documentary on television about Laura Lynn. I stood there frozen, it brought it all back to me. I thought: there by the grace of God go I. We’re trying to bring a bit of relief for parents going through hell.

“We felt we’d like to do something. A dying child is every parent’s nightmare. We were blown away by these people and the work they do. This is such an important charity.”