Creeslough Community Support Fund surpasses €1 million

Fund was only set up by the Irish Red Cross five days ago

People at a vigil at Market Square, Letterkenny last Monday for victims of the explosion at Creeslough's Applegreen service station. Photograph: Liam McBurney / PA Wire
People at a vigil at Market Square, Letterkenny last Monday for victims of the explosion at Creeslough's Applegreen service station. Photograph: Liam McBurney / PA Wire

The Creeslough Community Support Fund has now surpassed €1 million with the figure having been reached in only five days.

All donations to this fund will be dedicated to the support of those who have been bereaved, injured, made homeless, or left without an income as a result of the tragedy.

Along with the 10 people who died and their families, many more were injured when the filling station exploded on Friday last week. The Applegreen station was also Creeslough’s only shop and post office.

The fund is being supported by An Post and Applegreen. Other corporate companies have also joined along with thousands of Irish people who have donated online and in many post offices and shops around the country.

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Applegreen has already contributed €50,000 to the fund and Celtic Football Club a further €10,000.

The Irish Red Cross has offered its own volunteers in the Creeslough area to provide assistance.

Irish Red Cross spokesman Charlie Lamson said the Irish public had shown “incredible thoughtfulness” towards the Creeslough community.

He said Irish Red Cross Donegal area volunteers are in touch with people in the Creeslough locality and are in the process of identifying a process for the funding distribution which is appropriate and informed by the local community.

Separately a Donegal man based in Australia, Gerard McFadden, has collected €403,332 through his own fundraiser.

Mr McFadden who lives in Brisbane, said on his GoFundMe page that he would be “forever grateful” for the support offered to families in Creeslough.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times